


Your Memories

by BlueStarPaladin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bilingual Character(s), Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blue Paladin Allura (Voltron), Blue Paladin Lance (Voltron), Canon Universe, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Happy Ending, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Italian Pidge (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Speaks Spanish, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Langst, M/M, Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Minor Lance/Alien, Pidge (Voltron) Speaks Italian, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Red Paladin Keith (Voltron), Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Sad with a Happy Ending, Samoan Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sniper Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Mom Allura (Voltron), Stress relieving cookies, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-02-26 11:19:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 43,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13234584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarPaladin/pseuds/BlueStarPaladin
Summary: The flower of love should never bloom in war. If it does, its bound to have it’s petals pulled away until nothing is left of it.Lance never had a crush like this before. Keith Kogane had turned his world upside down, literally. When he found himself in space, fighting a war he didn’t even know about, Lance didn’t think it was too bad. The love he thought would never bloom took root in his heart and it was there to stay. Lance loved Keith and Keith loved him back. That is until the reality of war took that love away, breaking Lance’s world apart.





	1. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is the result of me trying to escape my responsibilities of writing my thesis. It's incredible how motivated I can be when I have actual responsibilities vs how motivated I am when I don't.
> 
> I want to warn everyone that there will be major character death in this story BUT since it is temporary character death I didn't add the Major Character Death archive warning. This story is Lance-centric and will have both fluff and angst.
> 
> Now that you've been warned, happy reading!

Lance had a crush.

It was nothing new. He had a few crushes here and there on some boys and girls in middle school, and then in high school as well. At the time it was easy to approach his targets and swoon them with his trademark smile without a single sweat. This time, however, it was different.

Lance knew it was different from the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful boy that came into their classroom. He had soft facial features, thick eyebrows and black hair and a… mullet? He blinked a couple of times to confirm that it really was a mullet and upon further inspection, he concluded that it was indeed a _mullet_.

He always thought mullets were considered a catastrophe among hairstyle choices but this guy? How did he manage to make a mullet look so _good_? It was so good looking that it should have been illegal.

Lance’s eyes were trained on the mullet boy, watching as he swiftly moved among the crowd to sit in the front row, hiding himself at the corner as to not be disturbed. Other students greeted him when he passed but he ignored them effectively, earphones in and eyes trained on the seat he had aimed for.

Maybe the guy wasn’t a social type? Definitely not since he successfully managed to ignore a group of girls that gathered the courage to approach him.

The bell of the school rang and Iverson appeared right on time; exactly at 12:00 sharp. That man’s obsession with the clock never ceased to amaze Lance, or rather, it was actually kind of creepy. This alone gave one an insight into his teaching style, and yep, Iverson was strict.

It had always been Lance’s dream to become a pilot, to explore the unknown and soar out into the sky. He fell in love with the sight below him whenever he flew in a plane. He had flown many times with his family, taking a family trip to Cuba before returning back home.

There was just something about the feeling of being on top of the world that made it for Lance. When he would look down from the window of the passenger plane, Lance marvelled at the small lights of the cities that were under. They were beautiful in their own right and in a sense they reminded him of stars. Each light represented a life and to Lance it was a beautiful thought.

Although when he would look up the window, he would see actual stars, glowing up in the never-ending space. They were still far away, but on a plane, they felt just a tad bit closer. If he could just stretch out his hand, he would be able to touch them.

It was due to his love for flying and space that Lance enrolled into Galaxy Garrison, a military organization with a purpose to train future astro explorers. It was there that he had met Hunk, now his best friend.

Lance clicked with a lot of people, and by that he meant _a lot_ of people. He had the looks and the personality, what was there not to like? _Pfff!_ But with Hunk, it was a different kind of a click. It truly felt like Lance had found the other part of himself because Hunk just understood him in ways nobody else ever did. He was a true bro. 

It was a blessing from the heavens that they became roommates as well. Lance honestly couldn’t imagine sharing a room with anyone else because, of course, who else would deal with the endless amount of moisturizing creams, face masks, countless conditioners and shampoos in the bathroom? The answer is Hunk.

Now then, back to the mullet boy. With all the freshmen, including Lance and Hunk, settled into the Garrison, everyone had sort of found their place.

Lance was the chatterbox; making friends left and right until Iverson would come in, bang the textbooks in his hand against Lance’s table before beginning the lecture. Iverson had an intimidating aura around him so nobody really dared to defy him. That is except for the handsome mullet boy.

“The thermo thrusters are powered by combustion from the heating system. In order to prevent a fire hazard, the nitrogen level has to be set under 100 deltas to-“

“Actually, the standard thermo thrusters are equipped to withstand a fire over 3000 degrees celsius. The engine's capacity and range depends on what type of aircraft you're flying and what engine model you have.”

The classroom turned silent, eyes on the mullet boy. Lance couldn’t stop a grin forming on his face, looking down at the black haired boy in the front row. This would mark his fourth interruption since the class began, and that was only thirty minutes ago.

“Is that so Mr. Kogane?” Iverson narrowed his eyes, brushing off the remark as if the boy never said it before continuing on with the lesson.

Mullet boy, as Lance had learned, actually had a pretty nice name. Keith Kogane. It had a nice ring to it and Lance liked it, “Keith.” He tested the name on his lips in a whisper, eyes never leaving the said boy.

“Dude, why don’t you talk to him? You’ve been eyeing him up since day one.” Hunk whispered but Lance never looked away.

“He’ll think I’m a creep.”

“For trying to talk to him?” Hunk gave him the ‘look’, the one he always gave him when Lance said something stupid. They didn’t know each other for long but they already got the ‘look’ down! That’s true friendship! 

“I don’t know Hunk. I don’t wanna mess this up. What if he’ll hate me?”

“I don’t see a reason as to why he would hate you. You’re a great person Lance.”

“Aww! Thanks man, I mean it.”

The lesson continued on with Lance stealing a couple of glances at Keith before looking back at his book. _Keith, book, Keith, book, Keith, book_ … Okay… So maybe he was looking at Keith more than the book. But he’s innocent! It was all the mullet’s fault. He still didn’t understand how it looked so _damn_ good. 

Time flew by faster than Lance would have liked and finally the instructors deemed the class worthy to conduct simulation flights. By then Keith’s popularity had somewhat diminished with the girls since the said mullet boy scared them all away. Not that Lance complained. With less people crowding around him, it would be easier to approach him.

But boy was Lance wrong. The moment Keith took to the simulator, his popularity spiked again. He was the best pilot of the class and soon the entire Garrison. Girls loved him but the guys hated him. Lance, however, was torn between the two.

He had a crush on Keith, yeah, but that score? It invoked feelings of competitiveness within him he didn’t even know he had. Ha! Bring it on mullet boy! 

Lance wanted to beat the score and finally prove himself as a worthy pilot, but among those emotions were feelings of wanting to be recognized by Keith. Lance had noticed Keith from day one but the other boy most likely didn’t even know Lance existed. In a classroom of hundred students, Lance didn’t blame him though. Especially since he didn’t make the effort to introduce himself yet! Lance wanted to kill himself.

He didn’t know why it was so hard but it was. In the past it had been so easy, coming to his target with a fancy smile and _bam!_ It was done! He had a date, _finito!_ His hesitancy to approach Keith worried him. Why did he care so much about how Keith would see him? He never felt like this before. This crush was something else completely.

“Uhh… Lance, buddy, don’t you think its time you talk to him?”

“O-Oh! Ummm… Next week?”

“You said that last week.”

“But this time I really mean it.” 

“Somehow I don’t believe that.” Hunk watched as Lance peeked behind a corner, watching Keith walk down the hallway from his locker. He’s in so deep it’s killing him. 

Lance didn’t have the courage to face him next week, or the week after and after.

.

.

.

The Kerberos mission had failed. All crew were presumed to be dead.

The news shook the entirety of the Garrison to its core, leaving its students fazed and horrified. It was a big tragedy that would change everything Lance had come to know. 

Later that week Lance would come to learn that Takashi Shirogane, one out of the three-crew members, was Keith’s adopted brother. He felt deep sorrow for the mullet and this time Lance was more than determined to approach him.

Keith hadn’t been in any of the classes since the Kerberos tragedy and it was worrisome. Lance conducted his own investigation, secretly walking around campus to see if he would find Keith anywhere. Hunk tagged along too, the kind soul he was.

Keith was nowhere to be seen, until one day there was a breakthrough. Lance had been putting his books back into his locker when he spotted Keith slamming his own locker shut, eyes furrowed with frustration.

He made his way towards Lance and immediately the brunette saw his chance. It was now or never. 

“W-Whoa! What did the poor locker do to you man?” _Seriously Lance?_

Keith ignored him, walking past him without even batting an eye. 

Lance quickly turned, grabbing Keith’s hand to stop him. It did the trick and the mullet boy stopped in his steps, glancing back at Lance with a glare, “Are you okay? You seem a bit on edge.” Then he remembered that he didn’t even introduce himself, “The name’s Lance by the way! We have classes together. We’re in the same pro-“

Keith snapped his hand away, glaring at the brunette, “I don’t have time for this.” And with that he took off again, leaving Lance behind. Wow… Okay, rude!

“You better look at the scores! See who is giving you a run for your money!” And Lance was very proud of that, thank you very much! He’s placed first on the cargo pilot’s scoreboard this week! A big achievement! Even though it was just the cargo pilot’s scoreboard and not the fighter class one… Keith was a fighter pilot class. That is until he was expelled due to discipline issues.

Just when Keith had left, Pidge had joined Lance and Hunk, making a group of three. Pidge was another piece of the puzzle. He fit in perfectly with Hunk and Lance, balancing the dynamics of their team.

It was a bit weird that Pidge would join them right in the middle of the year instead of waiting it out until the end of it. Although as Lance found out more and more about the said cadet, he understood exactly why Pidge was allowed to join them in the middle of their courses. Pidge was a genius. He knew his way around with computers like nobody else. If Lance were to describe everything Pidge could do, it would take up more than ten pages so instead; all he had to say is that Pidge is Pidge.

The day everything changed was when an alien ship crash landed in the desert and the group decided to see for themselves what it was. The last person Lance expected to see was Keith, but there he was, in all his glory.

“No way! Oh, he is _not_ gonna beat us in there!”

“Who is it?” Hunk asked confusingly.

“Keith!”

“Who?” Pidge perked up.

“Are you sure?” Hunk followed Lance down the sandy cliff.

“Oh I’d recognize that mullet anywhere!”

“Who’s Keith?” Pidge took after the two, following them down towards the crashed ship. It was inside the ship that Lance finally reunited with the mullet boy.

What he didn’t expect was that Keith had completely forgot about him. Their first meeting was a short one and Keith was out of it but it still hurt. In the end though, Keith did remember and it made Lance happy that he did.

 

* * *

 

Meeting Blue was the best thing that ever happened to Lance. She was beautiful, powerful and caring. He could hear her at the back of his mind even if he wasn’t in her cockpit. Her presence was soothing, especially in the middle of a battlefield. The gentle assurance that she would be there if anything happened was comforting and it boosted up his confidence.

It had been difficult for him to find his place in the team. He always saw himself as the seventh wheel of the group but with encouragement from his teammates, his new family, Lance pushed those dark thoughts away. He was the team’s sharpshooter and they needed him. 

Not surprisingly, he found himself talking to Keith more and more. That’s what living on a spaceship does to you, but it was a good thing! It gave Lance the chance to interact with the mullet boy and get to know him instead of only staring at him in class. 

Lance learned that under all that hotheaded exterior, Keith was actually pretty awkward. It was cute how at first Keith tried to fit into the group, making awkward jokes that would end up with everyone staring at him. Lance loved these moments because he would see a blush spread across Keith’s cheeks all the way up to his ears.

He wasn’t even going to mention the cheer they were working on. _Ugh_ … Seriously? The cheer includes the instructions! How is that so hard to understand? _I say VOL and you say TRON! VOL…_ Apparently it is for Keith. Nobody else would be that dense. Lance supposed that living alone in solitude did that to people, especially to people who lived in a shack in the middle of nowhere. He felt kind of bad for it. They’ll definitely work on the cheer.

Keith was also a workaholic, or maybe ‘train’-aholic was a better word for it? The mullet boy spends most of his time in the training room, so much so that it felt like he was practically living there. Whenever they had some time to themselves, Lance took every opportunity he had to make use of the time wisely. He needed some relaxing time for himself. His skin routine required it too! Perfect skin doesn’t come easy and stress sure as heck doesn’t help it.

Then there were the little things Lance had picked up. Whenever Keith was nervous, he tended to scratch the back of his neck. When he wanted to vent out his feelings or release some bent up frustrations, he went up to the training room. This is also true for when he had something on his mind. The training helped him think. 

Keith wasn’t much of a sleeper either which was quite a shocker. How can anyone survive with only five to six hours of sleep every day? It was beyond Lance. What he was absolutely certain of was that none of his teammates cared about their skins or complexions. It won’t be his fault if they suddenly start complaining on how wrinkled their skin is or how old they look.

The one person that did agree to trying out Lance’s products was Allura. He enjoyed showing the Altean princess all of his beauty secrets. Allura had even agreed to let Lance put face masks on her. She seemed to enjoy them very much, along with their cooling effect.

If Lance was the skin expert, then the mice were the hairstylists of the castle. Sometimes they would work together, styling Allura to look her best for negotiation meetings as efficiently as they could. They were a good team, even if from time to time they did it just for fun, sitting around in the lounge area of the castle while Lance and Allura talked about various things.

Occasionally, Pidge would join them as well. However, since Pidge had absolutely no interest in cosmetics and beauty, all she did was type on her laptop, chatting along with the two while working on something on her screen.

 _Oh!_ Pidge is a girl. Crazy right? Also, Keith is part Galra. You learn something new about your teammates every day.

“And then Hunk tried making the goo version of vanilla ice cream. It didn’t end well.” 

“Oh? How so?” Allura asked curiously, sitting down on the couch while Lance was behind her, braiding her hair into one long braid. The mice weren’t there so they could forgive him for it.

“It ended up destroying the entire kitchen. He cried for days after that.” A smile found it’s way onto Lance’s lips.

“Hunk is a savage when it comes to cleanliness, especially when it’s the kitchen. He cried for three days straight after Sendak sprayed the goo all over it.” Pidge added, finally looking up from her laptop, “This time it’s your fault Lance. You put him up to it.”

“Me!? How?” The blue paladin paused, his fingers in Allura’s long white hair.

“You asked him if he could make the ice cream, something about it being Keith’s favorite flavor.” Pidge grinned, “Is it suppose to be a surprise?”

Lance shrieked, “N-No! Of course not! Vanilla is my favorite! NOT Keith’s!” He defended, “I don’t even know what his favorite flavor is!”

“Hmm? Really?” The grin on Pidge’s face suggested otherwise, “I could be wrong but I overheard you guys talking and ice cream did come up-“

“No! No! _Nope!_ No! No! You heard wrong!” In an attempt to hide his blush, Lance returned his attention onto the braid.

“If I may ask, what is vanilla?” Allura, thank goodness, changed the topic.

“It’s a food flavor that’s made from orchids. They’re a plant species that’s found on Earth.” Pidge explained.

“I see. We used to use the flora on Altea for food ingredients and flavoring as well. My all time favorite was the Oxima plant. It was pink in color and mostly grew in open plains.” Allura’s expression changed to a softer one, no doubt reminiscing her childhood on Altea.

“Then why don’t we try making some as well? Oxima flavored ice cream sounds nice. I wanna try it.” Lance suggested.

“That would be wonderful!” Allura turned around, a wide smile on her face.

“We’ll have to ask Hunk about that, maybe Coran too since Hunk has no experience with the Oxima plant.” Pidge returned her attention onto her laptop, “You should make the vanilla one Lance. It’ll mean much more if you make it for your boyfriend.”

“Keith’s not my boyfriend!”

“You can’t hide it.” Pidge’s tone was teasing, “Hunk told me. You were pinning for Keith ever since your first year at the Garrison. That’s sad.”

“Hunk told you that!?” Lance shrieked loudly, “That traitor…” He’ll have a word with Hunk later.

“What’s taking you so long? It’s been like, I don’t know, almost two years? And you still haven’t confessed?” Pidge gave him a deadpanned look.

Two years? Two years… Now that he thought about it, it really had been that long. Keith had dropped out at the beginning of their second year at the Garrison and then Pidge joined them. Then they met Allura and their world turned upside down.

The big issue, however, is that Lance doesn’t have the balls to confess to his crush. For two _quiznacking_ years! The truth hit him like a boulder. Was he that much of a coward?

“I don’t know. I guess that I… I don’t want to mess up.” Lance’s shoulders lowered, his eyes moving down. 

“Don’t sulk. Luckily for you, we’re here to help.” Pidge’s grin returned, “Maybe you should confess before somebody else does it for you?”

“What do you mean?” Lance quickly shot up.

“Lance, everyone knows. We’d be blind not to see it.” The way both Keith and Lance look at each other without the other knowing, the way they fight with no malice in their voices and the way they look out for each other in battle. If you ask Pidge, she’d say that they’re the biggest dorks she’s ever met.

“Hunk knows and now you two as well.” Lance raised a brow, “Shiro and Coran know too?”

“I’m sure that Coran is aware, yes.” Allura confirmed his suspicion.

Pidge pushed up her glasses on her nose, “Shiro definitely knows as well. He’s space dad so he knows these kinds of things. Plus Keith is his favorite son/brother so I wouldn’t be surprised if he told him before you even confessed.”

“WHAT!?” Lance’s jaw dropped. He’s not that obvious!

“Just confess already. I promise that it won’t be as bad as you think. There’s nothing to worry about.” Pidge concluded but Lance had a doubtful look on his face.

“But what if-“

“Lance, you’re a paladin of Voltron. I have great confidence that you will succeed in everything you set your mind to. Also, it could strengthen the bond between all of the paladins and make Voltron stronger.” Allura noted but Lance still looked hesitant.

“There’s nothing to be scared of. Trust us.”

Allura turned around and Pidge looked up from her laptop, both of their eyes on him. They were both supportive, confident in their words. That confidence rubbed on Lance as well, “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Finally! If you ditch out, I’ll chase you down and throw you out of the airlock.”

“Ouch. That’s cruel Pidge.”

“That’s just my way of showing love.”

 

* * *

 

The paladins had gathered later that day for a bit of bonding exercises. They were essential for forming Voltron so even if the paladins’ teamwork had significantly improved; they still had to do them.

“Alright team, ready to roll?” Shiro stood before them in the training room, hands on his hips. 

“You mean spring roll? Ouch!” Hunk rubbed his right hand that Pidge had lightly hit with her elbow, “What? I’m hungry.”

“Stop thinking with your stomach Hunk.” Lance crossed his arms knowingly.

“Just like you’re thinking with your dick?” Pidge shot back and Lance placed his right hand on his chest defensively, “Uh no! What I’m thinking with is this!” He pointed to his chest with a grin, “You’re just jealous little pigeon.”

“What? Your heart? You don’t even have the balls to-Hmph!” Lance quickly reached out and put his hand on Pidge’s mouth, “We made a deal. Fair and square!” Lance whispered while Pidge gave him a deadpanned look and rolled her eyes. She nodded, giving the blue paladin a break.

“Hiding something?”

Lance looked up, meeting Keith’s beautiful eyes. One thing Lance didn’t notice back in the Garrison was that Keith had a tint of violet within his dark irises. There was also a tint of silver, creating the effect of a galaxy. Lance gets lost within them every time he looks at Keith.

“I have nothing to hide mullet.”

“Hmmm.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Keith smiled.

“Okay there’s definitely something. What is it?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Spill it.” 

“Okay! Why don’t we begin with the training? For today, we’ll separate into two groups. Allura agreed to join us so we have an even number of members on each team.” Shiro explained as the princess made her way over to them.

“I call dabs on Hunk!” Lance raised his hand.

“You just want to use me as a shield.” The yellow paladin sighed. 

“I’d never do that to you Hunk. I’m insulted.”

“The teams will be Lance, Keith and Pidge. Hunk and Allura are with me.” Shiro walked over to Allura eagerly, the others giving him a knowing look. Of course he would pair himself up with Allura, and Lance thought he was the obvious one here. Although he had to admit that he was more than happy to be paired up with Keith.

The red paladin walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Ready sharpshooter?”

“Who me? Always mullet.” He grinned, forming the blue bayard in his right hand. Keith smiled at him gently in return and Lance swore that he could melt under that gaze. He would have killed to get to see Keith smile at him like that in the Garrison.

Lance swallowed hesitantly, taking Keith’s hand, “After training, I want to tell you something. Can you meet me at the bridge?”

Keith seemed surprised but the smile soon returned, “I’ll be there.”

The training began. Shiro and Allura may be unstoppable together as a team but it didn’t mean that they were going to go down that easily.

 

* * *

 

Lance was the first one to bolt out of the showers, quickly running towards the bridge. He felt his heart beat in his chest, feeling every pulse. He was finally going to do it. After two years he was finally going to confess.

The door of the bridge hissed open and luckily nobody was there. Lance sat down on the floor at the front, opening up the projection of the stars. He quickly made it his mission to find Earth, already having its coordinates memorized in the castle’s computer system.

The blue planet appeared within sight, its presence relaxing him. He took in a deep breath, determination in his eyes as he looked at his home planet, “Mamá, papá, I’ll confess my feelings today.” He spoke towards the projection.

Ever since Coran showed him this, Lance took every opportunity he had to observe the planet he came from. Even though Earth was millions of light-years away, it still felt as if he was close. Close enough to talk to his family. Some may see it as strange but for Lance it was something he needed while coping with the war.

“I think you’ll like him mamá. I can’t wait to introduce you to him when we come back home.” A small smile stretched on his lips, the anxiety slowly leaving him, “If he accepts my feelings…” Oh damn; now he was making himself nervous again.

“I never felt this nervous before. It’s a first.” He admitted, “I think I’m serious about him.” His voice lowered, now a whisper. The blue planet slowly rotated in a relaxing manner, “Wish me luck.” He lightly hit his cheeks, the last power-up he’ll have before Keith arrives.

“Te extraño y te amo.” He said, his hand hovering above the switch-off button. His mind debated on whether he should actually switch it off or not. The thought of his family supporting him gave him confidence.

He jumped when he heard the door of the bridge slide open, “Lance?” _It’s happening._

“Over here.” He called Keith over, the red paladin seating himself down next to him. The brunette gulped, fidgeting with his hands. If Keith scratched his neck when he was nervous then Lance had a habit of fidgeting with his hands.

“Looking at the stars?” Keith’s voice was soft as he spoke, having an immediate effect on Lance’s poor heart. How did Keith manage to shake up his entire being with his voice alone?

“Yeah. It makes me feel closer to home, even if we’re so far away.”

“Makes sense.” Keith nodded, looking up at Earth as well.

“What do you miss the most?” Lance asked curiously.

“Hmmm…” Keith leaned his chin against his hand in thought, “Vanilla ice cream.” 

The brunette chuckled, “I know, you told me you liked it. Anything else?” His determination to succeed at making the ice cream just tripled. _Oh god_ , he was in so deep.

“Apart from the food?” Keith asked and Lance nodded, “Sand.”

“Sand?”

“Yeah.” Keith tilted his head to look at the other, noting the look he was giving him, “What?”

“Really? Sand?”

“Yes, Lance, I miss the sand. I like the feeling of my feet sinking into it when I walk. I also like how it feels against my hand when I hold it.”

“Weren’t we on a desert planet not long ago?”

“Yeah but it’s different. The sand there isn’t the same.”

“Oh. Guess I forgot you used to live in a desert.”

“Don’t make this weird.”

“I’m not!” The blue paladin huffed, folding his legs; “There’s nothing wrong with sand. Actually, I really miss the sea.”

“Isn’t there sand on the beach?” Keith grinned, leaning in closer, “Unless you prefer the beaches with little rocks instead of sand.”

Now that Keith’s face was closer to his, Lance felt his face heat up. He really hoped that it wouldn’t show. God, please don’t let it show, “S-Sand. I mean… I prefer sand beaches.”

Their eyes met for a brief moment and Lance felt himself drawn into the violet galaxy, “Good.” Keith moved away so that he sat upright again.

Then there was silence but not the uncomfortable kind. It was soothing but at the same time quite taxing. Lance thought his heart was going to explode.

“Keith?”

“Yeah?” The red paladin tilted his head to the side, eyes on Lance.

Here goes, “W-Will you be the sand to my sea?”

Keith blinked one, twice and thrice, “Are you-“

“I-I mean… Uhh…” He was already screwing up! _Okay Lance, take a deep breath._ He turned to Keith, meeting his eyes as he did. God they were beautiful.

“I like you!” He quickly said it before he had second thoughts about it, “I’ve liked you ever since you walked into Iverson’s class. I mean back then I didn’t know much about you so it was just a crush but now that I’ve got to spend more time with you in space, I…” He didn’t know how else to say it, “I like you. I really like you.”

Somebody please kill him. He did it! He confessed to Keith! The boy he had his eyes on for two years now, oh god. He felt his face heat up, as warm as lava now. He was absolutely sure that it was showing up on his cheeks now. Why does his body react like this when it comes to Keith? It’s frustrating.

Seconds passed, and they were so agonizing that Lance wanted to jump into the airlock. He waited for Keith to say something, _anything._

“Took you long enough.”

Lance finally looked up, eyes wide, “What?”

“I knew. It was pretty obvious.” 

“Seriously?” Pidge was right; he’s terrible at hiding his emotions, especially his feelings for Keith. There were some things Lance was pretty good at keeping a secret though but that wasn’t important right now.

“I like you too.” Keith’s voice was soft and so different from his usual tone he heard over the comms in their lions while in battle. His voice now was raw and spoke directly from within. Keith meant every word of it and Lance could feel it in the way he spoke alone.

“Really? You do?”

“Yeah.” A soft smile appeared on Keith’s face and Lance couldn’t look away, “I’ve liked you for a while now.”

The blue paladin felt relief wash over him. Keith accepted his feelings and even returned them. He couldn’t be happier than he is right now. 

“Can I?” Keith leaned in closer, brushing his right hand against Lance’s cheek. The blue paladin nodded eagerly, captivated by the stars in Keith’s eyes.

He felt soft lips against his, kissing him warmly. They were so much softer than Lance had imagined, so, so soft. The kiss didn’t progress further but it was enough to make Lance breathless. If he felt like this from just a peck on the lips then how will he feel when they get to go deeper?

“That was amazing.” Lance breathed out while Keith smiled.

“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, a little taste of what’s to come.” Keith’s voice was teasing, a new kind of teasing that Lance liked.

“Oh god.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t know if I’ll survive the rest.” He admitted.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Ouch, and I thought we were having a moment. Way to go Keith.”

“You’re hopeless.” But despite that Keith still had a smile on his face.

“Maybe I am, hopeless for you.” Lance grinned and this time it was him who leaned in closer, “My turn?”

The red paladin nodded, “Bring it.”

 

* * *

 

Confessing was the best thing Lance could have ever done. Not only did he feel over the moon but now he could actually be affectionate towards Keith. He can be open about it and it’s so incredible he wants to cry.

The others weren’t surprised at all when one day Keith and Lance came to breakfast with intertwined hands. Their reactions went along the lines of:

“Finally! Now we can actually talk about how dumb you two are.” Pidge. 

“Congrats bud! I knew you could do it! Well, it only took you two years but that’s fine! No pressure!” Hunk.

“Congratulations paladins! You have my blessings.” Allura.

“I think that’s what’s said during weddings Allura.” Shiro noted and the Altean princess gave him a curious look. 

“Apologies. However, I am delighted of the news.” She smiled while Coran stroked his moustache, “Delighted indeed! Perhaps I should tell you a story of how my younger self fought in the name of lov-“

“I’m relieved we can finally address the elephant in the room.” Shiro folded his arms, “Took you long enough Lance. However, don’t expect me to go easy on you. I’ll be watching you closely.” 

The blue paladin nodded. Shiro is definitely the protective brother type, but that was nothing to worry about. Lance has this in his pocket, “Nothing to worry about Shiro. I’m a loyal boyfriend.”

“I’ll judge that myself.” The black paladin challenged while Keith rolled his eyes. He tugged on Lance’s hand, pulling him towards the table. It was time for breakfast, not for talking.

 

* * *

 

“This is concerning.” Allura noted, looking up at the map of a certain galaxy they had zoomed in on. The map was half covered in red spots while the rest was blue. The rebels and the Blades were of big help to Voltron and without them, they wouldn’t have made as big of a progress as they had made now. 

“The Galra seem eager to get to the planet of Dalbazz. Quite the stubborn bunch I’ll say.” Coran zoomed in on the said planet and so far it looked peaceful. Who knew how long that would last.

“Why this planet in particular?” Pidge asked, looking up at Coran.

“I’m glad you asked number five!” The older Altean turned ninety degrees to face the green paladin and the rest, “You see, Dalbazz is a special planet. As a matter of fact it is as special as Balmera. You could call Dalbazz her sister planet!”

“The planet is alive?” Hunk was all ears. From the moment Balmera was brought up, he sat up in his chair eagerly.

“Very much so! Dalbazz lives in the same manner that Balmera does but of course there are some differences, such as the life forms that inhabit the planet. While Balmera has Shay and her people, Dalbazz has its own citizens. They protect and live with Dalbazz in peace.” Coran explained, zooming in on the said planet’s surface.

Dalbazz was a planet of green. There was grass everywhere along with minor mountains that were covering some of the planet’s surface. What caught the paladins’ attention though were the crimson crystals that were sticking out of the earth. They were everywhere, just like on Balmera.

“Wow, it’s so different but really similar at the same time. The crystals back at Balmera are cyan blue but these are crimson red. Quite a contrast.” Hunk said, looking up at the images with the rest of the team.

“What are the properties of the crystals? Do they function in the same manner as those on Balmera?” Pidge zoomed in on a crystal on her small screen, examining it closer as if she would find all the answers just by looking at it.

“Negative number five, Dalbazz’s crystals are very different.” Coran turned back to his screen.

“Coran is right. The crystals on Balmera are made with consideration as to how much of the planet’s power goes into them. The Balmera is a kind being and it reflects in its crystals. Dalbazz, however, is a planet whose crystals don’t focus solely on quintessence. It has some unusual properties such as the power to feed off of memories.” Allura remembered the kindness she felt within the Balmera’s crystals.

“Hold up! Feeding on memories? How? Why?” Lance, just like the rest of the paladins, was sitting in his assigned chair, looking up at the images. All of a sudden the planet looked less inviting.

“Regrettably it’s the truth. Dalbazz is known to feed off of the memories of its inhabitants, using it for the creation of its crystals.” Allura explained. 

“Isn’t that kind of similar to the ritual you did Allura? You know, the one where you give back to the planet in order to take from it?” It was how Allura had saved Balmera the first time they were there. 

The Altean princess nodded, “In a sense it’s true. Dalbazz requires memories while Balmera requires quintessence.”

“So what do the Galra want on this planet?” The immediate answer that came to Keith’s mind were the crystals.

“Dalbazz’s crystals.” And he was right.

“Dalbazz’s crystals are much more concentrated with quintessence than Balmera’s own. This is most likely due to the memories the crystals contain. Quintessence after all, is the life form of everything that exists. Memories, due to their nature, create high concentrations of quintessence.”

Memories are everything that a person has. It makes them who they are and shapes them. Without memories, a person is merely a shell without a mind.

“That’s pretty tense.”

“I’m with you on this one Hunk. I don’t like it.”

“Whether we like it or not, we have a duty to carry out. The Galra are heading for Dalbazz as we speak. We can’t let them take control of the planet, knowing it’s as dangerous as it is.” Shiro stood up from his chair, “How long until we arrive?” He turned to Allura. 

“A quintent at the very least. I’ll create a wormhole that will take us to the galaxy Dalbazz is in. However, due to the presence of the Galra we will have to be discreet.” They didn’t know how big the Galra fleet was or who was leading it. 

“Then we have one quintent to rest up. Heard that team? I want you all ready tomorrow morning, you’ve been briefed so you know what to expect.” Shiro leaned his hands on his hips, eyeing up everyone.

“That’s one quintent to cook up some stress relieving cookies. Now if you’ll excuse me, the kitchen is calling me.” Hunk made it for the door, disappearing down the corridor. Poor guy… You know when he talks about his stress relieving cookies that he’s really worried about the mission to come. 

“Lance and I have some work to do.” Keith stood up from his chair, eyeing his boyfriend before making his way toward the door.

“Right! See you later Shiro!”

The atmosphere in the bridge was heavy right now so Lance was glad to get out. This mission will be something else entirely. Maybe they should steal some of Hunk’s cookies?

“Lance?” His boyfriend’s voice snapped him back in place.

“Yeah?” The blue paladin leaned in closer, resting his head on top of Keith’s own while leaning into him, arms around Keith’s waist.

One thing that shocked him, and he’ll absolutely _never_ get over, is just how soft the quiznaking mullet is. He always thought it would be harsher to the touch but it was quite the opposite. Lance enjoyed running his hands through it whenever he could.

“What do you wanna do?” Keith asked, leaning into the touch and also wrapping his arms around Lance’s body, “I want to go tr-“

“Train.” Lance interrupted. His boyfriend’s training addiction is frightening.

Keith gave him a knowing look, “And then we can go to the playroom? I still need to beat you at that racing game.”

“It’s Mario Kart babe.” The blue paladin chuckled. He loves watching his boyfriend fail miserably every time. It’s cute; Lance will fight anyone who claims otherwise.

“After that, I want to try something.” Keith leaned closer to Lance’s ear, his cold breath brushing against the sensitive skin.

“What is it?” Keith had Lance’s full attention.

“That’s a secret.” The red paladin moved away, pulling Lance along with his hand, “Training comes first.”

Of course, training. How could he forget? “Can I lay on you like the last time? You get to do push-ups and I get to stay close to my boyfriend. It’s a win-win situation.” Lance winked while Keith rolled his eyes, although he did accept the proposal. The extra weight on his back would make it more challenging. Ugh… Would be if Lance weighted something.

In the end Lance did rest on top of Keith. The red paladin was sweaty towards the end with 200 push-ups but Lance didn’t mind at all. On contrary, being bench pressed shortly after by your boyfriend was the sexiest thing he ever experienced.

 

* * *

 

“Left!”

“Right!”

“Move it mullet! You’re blocking my path!”

“That’s the point dumbass!”

Lance and Keith pushed at one another on the couch, shoving at each other with the aim to make the other fall down. Fair gameplay doesn’t exist. The playing field is cruel, just like the outside world! You can’t escape it even in Mario Kart. 

“Move!”

“You move!”

They both flipped the controls of their joysticks viciously; doing everything they could in an attempt to win. It was the last lap! It’s all or nothing at this point!

“Ha!”

“No bananas!”

“I don’t remember you making up that rule.” Keith grinned, pushing his joystick forward. He was leading and he was going for the finish line… and YES! He won! He- _What?_

“Haha! I can’t believe this, you’re adorable babe!”

“Shut it!”

Keith quickly grabbed the controller. How was he still racing!? He passed the finish line!

“Goal! I win!” Lance jumped in place, a wide grin on his face as his side of the screen began displaying the scoreboard. Lance, much to his credit, had earned himself the fourth place.

“Can’t believe you lost to three PCs.” Keith teased but Lance took no offence. Instead the tanned boy leaned against his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Says the one who finished in last.” And just as Lance said it, Keith passed the finish line. This time the scoreboard showed up when he crossed the line, showing him in last place.

“How!? I clearly crossed it before anyone else! There must be a malfunction!” It made no sense!

“Haha!”

“Lance! Stop it!” 

The red paladin threw himself at the other, tackling him down onto the couch. He still didn’t get what was so funny. He watched as Lance wiped the tears in his eyes, looking up at Keith with a huge smile on is face.

“Keith, you were one lap behind me. If you wanted to win, you had to do a whole lap before coming back to where I was. You were doomed to lose.”

“You’re lying.” The red paladin felt his cheeks heat up.

“Nope! You’re just cute like that while playing Mario Kart.” Lance moved his hand up so that he could brush the dark bangs to the side of Keith’s forehead, “My reward please.”

“Fine but first there’s something I wanted to try. I think you’ll like it.”

“What is it?” Lance had been curious about it the whole day. What could Keith’s surprise be?

The brunette watched as Keith leaned down, brushing his thumb against the caramel skin of his cheek, “Can I?”

Lance’s eyebrow rose, confused. Ever since their first kiss, they stopped asking for permission, unless… Keith wanted to take it further? It had been about two week since they confessed, maybe? You can never tell in space.

A lot of people would definitely find them lame for not kissing like a true couple for a week after getting together but they both wanted to take their time with it. They didn’t want to rush anything and honestly, Lance was glad for it. He didn’t want to lose what they already had. It frustrated him just how much he cared. He cared so much it hurt.

Lance nodded as Keith leaned down, connecting their lips. At first it was only the peck they were used to until Keith’s tongue moved out, asking for permission. Lance granted it and quickly felt the new sensations that followed.

An open kiss and a closed one were worlds apart. It was to be expected that both of them would find it a bit difficult at first since it was the first real kiss they shared together, but once they got the hang of it, everything followed naturally.

They let their instincts lead them, their want and desires taking over. The room suddenly felt warmer and once they parted, saliva connected their lips. It should have been gross but somehow it made Lance even more aroused.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, Lance pulled Keith back onto his lips, continuing where they had left. If he knew an open kiss would feel this good, Lance would have insisted on it sooner. It was otherworldly.

They didn’t know how long they’d been at it, kissing and then parting for air before smacking their lips back together. It was only when Keith had pulled away that they stopped, the red paladin panting with blushing cheeks, looking down at Lance who was in the same mess as he was.

“If we continue, I won’t be able to hold on.” Keith breathed out, moving to the side to sit down, his legs folded in front of him.

Lance sat up as well and it was then that he noticed the tent in his pants. He shrieked, quickly grabbing a pillow to cover his problem. When did it get there? He didn’t even notice! But Keith apparently did.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t like it?” Keith tilted his head to look at the blue paladin who quickly waved his hands up in the air.

“No! No! I absolutely loved it! It was great! Fantastic! Amazing! It’s just… I’m sorry about this.” Lance pointed to the pillow he had.

“I still don’t get what you’re sorry for.” Keith deadpanned, “Honestly, it would be weird if this didn’t happen.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.” Lance mumbled to himself.

“You’re making things weird again.” Keith rolled his eyes, “Idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot.” Lance winked, pointing a finger gun at his boyfriend. That earned him a pillow hit to the head, but it held no malicious intent behind it. Lance pushed back, managing to finally sit up so he was on equal footing with Keith.

They fought for a minute before the door opened to reveal Pidge and Hunk. Hunk the precious soul he was brought his stress relieving cookies and Pidge? She brought her game!

“Alright losers! Move aside! The champion has come.”

 

* * *

 

They all played until Allura called them over the comms for dinner, and honestly if she didn’t, they would have probably spent the whole night there. If was fun playing with everyone, reminded Lance of home and of what could have been. 

Maybe in some alternative universe, they were doing the same thing? Only in that universe they weren’t in space. No, they were college kids struggling with everyday life struggles. If they really did exist somewhere like that, Lance was envious of them.

The game and everyone’s smiles made him forget for a moment and he was grateful for that. However, as soon as it was over, he was reminded of where he was. The constant fear at the back of his head returned, one where he was worried for everyone’s safety. War does that to you.

He tried to push the feeling away as they made their way to the dinning room. He sat between Keith and Hunk in his usual spot, eyeing the plate before him.

Quiznak… Hunk was playing Mario Kart with them and since they lost track of time, Coran was the one making the food. The usual food goo was facing them all in a challenge.

Lance sighed, taking his spoon to dig in.

“Paladins, I’m sure you’re all aware but we’re currently in Dalbazz’s galaxy.” Allura announced.

“Ten vargas away to be exact! We should arrive tomorrow morning if everything proceeds as planned.” Coran sat himself down as well, joining them in the feast.

Shiro nodded before turning to the rest, “You heard the princess. Now that we’re in this galaxy, there’s a chance that we may encounter Galra forces. I want you all to be prepared for that.”

“ _Pfft!_ Who do you think you’re talking to Shiro? I’m the definition of prepared.” Lance said proudly.

“Says the one who always comes last?” Pidge teased, pointing her spoon at him.

“I’m never the last one Pidge. That would be Keith.” He nudged his boyfriend who rolled his eyes.

“I’m one of the first to get to the bridge, right after Shiro.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Shut up.” Keith’s cheeks had a tint of pink on them and Lance knew it was because he was still embarrassed about the lap thing. Not only was his boyfriend sexy as hell but he was also incredibly cute. Kill him.

Hunk began complaining about the consistency of the food and Lance found himself nodding to everything he said, even though he didn’t get some of the stuff that was said. He spared a glance at his boyfriend, noticing that his black hair was getting in the way.

The blue paladin pushed up the left sleeve of his green jacket, revealing four black hair ties on his wrist. He took one and offered it to Keith who accepted it without complains. 

“Thanks.”

“Anytime babe.”

Keith’s lips curved upwards into a smile, his eyes drifting to Lance’s wrist, “I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, why do you wear hair ties around your wrist? You don’t need them.” Lance’s hair was too short to be tied.

Lance found himself pulling on one hair tie, “You’ll think it’s lame.”

“No, I won’t.”

“You don’t know that. You’ll definitely think I’m lame.”

“Lance.” Keith gave him that ‘look’ he always gives him when he’s dead set on getting the answer. With that, Lance gave in.

“Okay so, I noticed some things.”

“What things?”

“Well, when you train, I noticed that your hair gets in the way. You always brush it aside but it falls back down again. I see it falling down whenever you eat too and I know that hair in your food is a big no, no. That’s why I carry these.” He raised his wrist up to show the makeshift bracelet.

“For me?”

“Yeah?”

Keith blinked a couple of times, looking at his boyfriend with a dumbfounded look. Lance felt his cheeks heat up, “See! I knew you would think it’s lame!”

“It’s not lame.”

“It totally is! _Gosh_ , I’m lame.”

“No, you’re not.” Lance felt Keith place his hand on top of his, making him look up. It was then that the brunette noticed Keith’s pink cheeks.

“I think it’s sweet.”

The word sweet came out of Keith’s mouth? It did a thing to Lance’s insides.

“You do?”

“Yeah. Thanks for carrying them for me.” Keith gathered the courage to look up at this moment, their eyes meeting. Lance felt his heartbeat fasten up, intertwining his hand with Keith’s own.

“I-It’s no problem.”

The warmth of Keith’s hand was comforting. It was so warm and assuring that Lance wanted to hold onto it forever. 

“You two are disgustingly sweet.”

Lance turned in a startle when he heard Pidge say that, cheeks red, “You were listening?”

Looking around the room, both Keith and Lance noticed that everyone was now looking at them. This was so embarrassing!

“We were all listening, at least when you explained the significance of the hair ties.” Pidge grinned while Hunk captured Lance in one of his bear hugs. In other occasions, he would love the feel of Hunk’s legendary hugs but now he wanted to disappear from the face of the earth or maybe the castle ship in his case.

“I always knew what they were for bud, but after hearing you say that, I think I’ll cry.” 

“W-What!? Why!?”

“Because you’re cute! Incredibly so! This level of cuteness is illegal dude!”

“Not you too Hunk! I already wanna die!”

Everyone began laughing, filling the dinning room with sounds of happiness. Lance felt incredibly embarrassed but maybe he’ll let it go this time. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Keith chuckle as well and it was then that Lance decided it was all worth it.

.

.

.

They were all surprised when right after dinner the castle sent out a notification that there was an incoming transmission. Surprised, Allura quickly headed to the bridge, the rest following suit.

The princess walked up to her station, answering the call before the huge screen in front came to life. A smiling Matt showed up instantly, “Hey everyone! Sorry for the late call but I thought you might wanna hear this before going off to Dalbazz tomorrow.” He observed the bridge, eyes landing on the green paladin, “Hey lil sis! Miss me?”

“You know it.” She smiled in return and Matt’s own smile widened.

“Got something for us Matt?” Shiro’s voice snapped the rebel back to the task at hand. He nodded, scratching his head nervously, “Actually I do.” His face turned serious and focused. Matt always had two sides to him, his dorky side and then his serious one. He also had a very protective third side when it came to Pidge too.

“We’ve detected Galra activity on Dalbazz. I’m afraid they’re already on the planet. 

The news surprised everyone but then again with Galra you never know. They were beaten to the chase, “How many of their forces?” Allura asked.

“We’re detecting four cruisers in the system. One of them has landed on the planet and we think they’ve already begun extracting the planet’s crystals. We can’t handle them without Voltron.” Four cruisers were a large fleet. It might be nothing for Voltron but for the rebels it was impossible to take down on their own.

“Understood. We’re on course to Dalbazz as we speak but due to the news we’ll keep our distance once we get there. We’ll rendezvous with you and your men at the planet’s moon. Its close enough but still far for the Galra not to notice.” Allura’s voice was unwavering as she spoke. She was a born leader.

“Understood. I’ll let the commander know.” Matt nodded and soon after the formalities were over, he turned to Pidge with a smile, “Hope I didn’t wake you up Katie.”

“Nah, if you did, I would have already cut you off.”

“Then I’m glad I didn’t.” Waking up Pidge is something everyone fears to do. She was definitely not a morning person and would kill the poor soul unfortunate enough to be exposed to her wrath. The only exception to this is Allura and the alarms going off during Galra attacks or missions.

“I have to go now. Stay safe everyone.” Matt saluted before the screen disappeared.

The bridge was quiet for a minute, the new information sinking in.

“I should have known this wouldn’t be easy.” Allura sighed, head lowered. She only looked up again when she felt Shiro’s hand on her shoulder, “Nothing is ever easy, but we’re Voltron. We’ll be able to handle this.”

“You’re right.” The princess agreed and soon everyone dispersed to head back to their rooms.

Lance stopped at his door, holding onto Keith’s hand gently. The red paladin’s bedroom was just further down from Lance’s own so he would always stop here before heading off.

“You know, it feels like you’re dropping me off back home after a date.” Lance teased, leaning in closer.

“Don’t be silly.” The smile on Keith’s lips betrayed his words, placing his right hand against Lance’s cheek.

“Te amo” The blue paladin whispered, a knowing smile on his face.

“What did you say?”

“Not telling.”

Keith pinched his cheek, “You always do this. It’s unfair.”

“Ow! Ow! Sorry! Sorry, not sorry babe~”

“You promised.” Keith let go and instead brushed his thumb against the cheek he had just pinched a second ago, “That you’d teach me Spanish. I’m still waiting for the first lesson.” 

Lance placed both of his hands on Keith’s shoulders, pulling him closer, “Una promesa es una promesa. Te enseñaré.” 

“What?”

“I said that I’d teach you. Let’s have our first lesson after the mission on Dalbazz. Sounds good?”

“Sounds perfect.” Keith leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on the other’s lips. Lance wanted more so he leaned in to capture those soft lips again. That is until he was stopped by Keith’s hand, “Tell me a word. Anything. I want to learn something new every day.”

“A word?”

Keith nodded, “This way it’ll be easier to remember.”

“So a new word every day? That’s actually… a great idea.” Lance liked it.

“So?” Keith’s violet eyes were trained on his, eagerly waiting.

But what could Lance say? What would be a good first word to teach his boyfriend? The way Keith was looking at him now was kind of cute. Cute? “Linda. Eres lindo.”

“What does it mean?”

“Cute, because that’s what you’re right now.”

The red paladin gave him a look, “Says the one who wears hair ties on his wrist.”

Red spread across Lance’s cheeks, “O-Okay! I get it! Just let it go.” He’ll never live it down, “The things I do for you.”

“Linda.” Lance looked up when he heard Keith’s voice, “You’re linda Lance.”

“It’s ‘eres lindo’.” He corrected, his ears turned on to their maximum capacity.

“Eres lindo.” Keith said softly.

“Again.”

Keith’s smile turned into a mischievous smirk, leaning close, their lips almost touching, “Eres lindo, you idiot.”

Lance closed the distance between them, their lips meeting. He stuck his tongue out, asking for permission that was granted. Lance won the battle of dominance easily, taking control of the kiss. He was eager and incredibly turned on. It was without a doubt because Keith spoke Spanish.

He didn’t know how long they kissed but he didn’t care. All he cared about were Keith’s soft lips and the sensations that came from them.

Eventually they had to part, leaning their foreheads against one another.

“You know that would have been really sexy if you didn’t add the ‘idiot’ at the end.”

“Shut up, you know you liked it.”

Lance glanced to the side, “Maybe.”

“Idiot.” Keith brushed his thumb against Lance’s lip before moving away, “Get some sleep, you’ll need it.”

“Sweet dreams babe.” Lance watched Keith go before opening the door to his bedroom. He took off his clothes, took a shower, did his everyday skin care routine and put on his pyjamas before finally throwing himself on the bed, careful of the face mask.

He replayed today’s events in his mind until the moment Keith called him cute in Spanish. He couldn’t wait to begin the lessons. They could talk secretly between themselves without the others knowing what they’re saying. The idea made his cheeks warm because it would be something they would only share amongst themselves.

The only downside was that Lance wouldn’t be able to say some things he had been saying to Keith without the red paladin knowing. The words he wanted to say but couldn’t say them just yet.

 

* * *

 

“One cruiser is on the ground and the rest are orbiting the planet, most likely in case of an attack.” Matt briefed everyone on the situation. The rebels have all come onto the castle ship to attend the briefing before they begin their mission.

Shiro had contacted Kolivan the night before when everyone went off to bed in hopes of gaining the Blades assistance as well. Kolivan heeded the message but due to their current circumstances, the Blades would join them later. Shiro counted on them as reinforcements in the upcoming battle should they need them.

“We’ll use Voltron to take down two of the cruisers orbiting the planet. Can you handle the remaining one?” Shiro asked and Matt nodded affirmative.

“I want to get down to the cruiser on the planet as fast as possible. Who knows if the inhabitants are in danger.”

“The Galra had just arrived on the planet. I doubt they would have had the time to hurt the people. Just like the Balmerans, the Dalbazzans live underground.” Allura zoomed in on the cruiser that was on the planet, showing sentries loading fragments of the crystals onto the ship.

“Understood. Then this is how we’ll proceed.” Shiro turned to his team, “We’ll form Voltron and take out two of the cruisers. This leaves Matt and his group with one more to take down by themselves.”

The rebels nodded in agreement.

“Then we’ll split up and head towards the cruiser on the ground. Keith and Pidge, I want you two to infiltrate the ship and hack into its systems. We need to know why the Galra are interested in the crystals.”

“Understood.” Pidge spoke up while Keith nodded.

“Lance and Hunk will take on the sentries that will emerge from the cruiser’s hangar. Meanwhile, I’ll go and check if the local population is safe. Allura, do you have the heat readings and position of the cave entrances?”

“Yes, I’ll send them to the black lion for you.”

Shiro nodded, “Let’s show them the power of our alliance.”

 

* * *

 

The lions left the castle, joining to form Voltron before aiming for the two cruisers. The rebel fleet followed behind them, heading towards the farthest cruiser. Voltron would be enough to take down the two on its own.

Forming the sword, Voltron cut through them like butter, taking them both down. The only problem was that now the Galra were aware of their presence. Those on the planet would quickly react to the news. Voltron needed to intercept them before they wormhole away.

“Alright team, split up! You all know what to do.” Shiro spoke through the comms, everyone focused on their individual tasks.

Voltron broke up and each of the lions went their separate ways. Red and Green headed for the cruiser on the planet, Yellow and Blue on standby waiting for the sentries, and Black going towards the caves where the planet’s inhabitants are supposed to be hiding.

“This planet looks really different from Balmera. It’s covered in grass.” Hunk looked down through his lion’s screen, “I think I like Balmera more.”

“Of course you would bud.” A window appeared on Hunk’s screen, showing Lance, “Your girlfriend lives there.”

“Y-Yeah but I like the planet as well.”

“Sure.” The blue paladin noticed the flustered look on his best friend’s face, “I know the truth and that’s all that matters.”

“T-That’s the truth!”

Lance smiled, “I know, and I know you really miss Shay too.”

“Y-Yeah.” Hunk didn’t deny it.

“Don’t worry Hunk, I’m sure we’ll come visit soon. Allura may need more of the crystal-“

“Lance! Hunk! Focus! The hangar is opening!” Shiro alerted through the comms, snapping the legs of Voltron back onto the task ahead.

“We’re in.” Keith’s voice came in through his helmet as well and all of a sudden Lance felt nervous. He trusts his boyfriend but he still worries.

“Careful babe.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“You? _You?_ ”

“Guys! Can you focus? My ears are ringing!” Pidge shot through the comms.

“Sorry.” Both Lance and Keith replied at the same time.

“Focus on the task ahead. Keith, Pidge, let us know if you need any back-up."

“Understood.” And with that Keith and Pidge went silent. 

Lance tightened his hold on the sticks in his hand.

“He’ll be fine buddy. Keith is a tough nut to crack.” 

“Did you just compare my boyfriend to a nut Hunk?”

“Yeah, I’m a cook remember?” The yellow paladin smiled and Lance returned it.

“Let’s take down these sentries. Come on girl.” Lance moved Blue into action, flying through the swirls of sentries that emerged from the hangar. They were still coming out like bees from a nest but that’s exactly what Lance wanted. The more of them come, the less of them will be inside the cruiser.

 

* * *

 

“The coast is clear.” Keith emerged from a corner, Pidge right behind him. 

“That’s strange, there should be more sentries inside.”

“Looks like Lance and Hunk are drawing them all out.” Keith took the lead as they made their way up to the bridge.

“Good, less work for us then.” 

The red paladin grumbled under his breath.

“Worried for your boyfriend?”

“No.” Keith’s answer was quick, peeking out of another corner, clear.

“Sure.”

“I’m not worried. I trust him.” Lance is a capable fighter. He can handle himself so Keith doesn’t worry. Okay, he does worry, just a bit. It’s not like he would admit it though.

They were met with large doors, two sentries guarding it. Behind it was the bridge.

The two paladins looked at one another, silently confirming each other’s thoughts with a nod. Pidge shot up her hook so that the sentries would see it before it came back to her. It worked as quick footsteps made their way towards them.

Just as the sentries emerged from around the corner, Keith swung his sword, beheading the first one before taking down the remaining one.

They made their way to the closed doors and Pidge immediately opened the small pad to the side. She did her magic but looked at Keith before opening it.

“I’m ready.”

The door hissed open, revealing more sentries and a Galra commander on board. They immediately began to shoot at them and Keith quickly activated his shield to defend while Pidge hid behind a panel.

Once he got close to the sentries, Keith cut through them with ease. He saw Pidge join in and swing her hook to the side, knocking off three sentries at once.

This made the Galra commander panic, turning to reach for the holographic keyboard. No doubt to call for backup. Before he could reach it, however, Keith swung his sword towards him, which made the Galra evade, pushing him further away from the panel.

The red paladin raised his sword up, pointing it towards the Galra’s throat. All of the sentries were taken down, only the commander remaining, “Tell us what you were assigned to do.” Keith’s voice was low as he spoke.

The Galra grumbled under his breath, “You pests won’t get anything out of me.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Pidge walked up to the main computer, hacking into it, “I’ll know soon enough so it won’t matter if you don’t say anything.”

“You-“

“It’s in your best interest to cooperate with us.” Keith moved his sword closer; “I won’t hesitate to cut your throat open."

The Galra tensed at that but luckily for him, Pidge managed to break into the system, “I’m in.”

 

* * *

 

The remaining cruiser exploded as the rebel ships scattered to evade the explosion. A window popped up at the large screen of the castle ship, showing a smiling Matt along with his co-pilot, “Mission accomplished! We’re heading down to help the paladins.”

“Understood. Coran and I will keep watch from above.”

“Roger.” Matt’s window disappeared and Allura returned her attention onto the heat scans that were monitoring the planet. Dalbazz was alive and it felt the battle that was taking place on it. Allura watched as the heat readings shot up, more crystals emerging from the planet’s surface.

“Dalbazz is producing more crystals in order to protect itself from the blasts. If it continues, the planet may run out of its life energy on its own.” Coran warned, watching the live feed of more and more crystals as they appeared from under the earth.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Unlike Balmera, Dalbazz is more eager to protect itself.

Suddenly a blast shook up the castle ship, alarms alerting the two Alteans of the damage. 

“Coran?”

“On it princess!”

A window showing three Galra battle cruisers popped up. Reinforcements?

“Princess, one of the cruisers is trying to contact us!”

“Put them on Coran.”

The said Altean nodded, turning to his screen before pressing a button to accept the transmission. As soon as he did, a window with the Galra prince popped up, “Lotor.” Allura hissed under her breath, watching as a grin appeared on the prince’s face.

“Greetings Allura. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“I wish I could say the same but that would be a lie.”

“That’s unfortunate. However, I do see that you’ve come to Dalbazz on a mission to free the planet. It’d be wise to surrender now while you still can.”

“Surrender to you? Never.”

“I thought so, that’s why I’ve come prepared.” Lotor said before the middle cruiser began to open up, its nose opening to reveal a large cannon that was hidden under it.

“I have already transferred some of Dalbazz’s crystals onto my ships. I have the amount I need, although I was hoping for a constant supply of it. That won’t be possible anymore. Instead, I have something better in mind.” Lotor leaned his head against his hand, “I’ll say it again, surrender now or I’ll destroy the entire planet along with the paladins on it.” 

Allura paled, examining the cannon that had appeared. It wasn’t big in size but she knew that if it was powered by a large amount of the crystals, it could pose a threat. It still wouldn’t be enough to destroy an entire planet though.

“That won’t be enough. You don’t have the firepower to destroy Dalbazz.” Lotor, unlike his father, is fond of playing mind games. Allura was not one to fall for them.

“That’s true, however, with the bombs my soldiers have planted onto the planet’s surface, I’m quite confident in my statement.” Lotor’s words shook the Altean princess, “Surrender now princess.”

Allura clenched her fists; frustrated with the situation she had found herself in. She values her paladins’ safety over everything else but judging from the state of the cannon, it would need some time to charge before firing. They could use that to their advantage to evacuate the planet. However, even if they did manage to get everyone aboard, the blast of the planet would still hit them all. They wouldn’t even have the time to jump into hyperspace.

“Well, if you won’t answer, then I’ll do it for you.” Allura’s head shot up, her eyes meeting Lotor’s figure on the screen, “Your precious paladins will die today, along with Dalbazz. If I can’t have those crystals to myself, then nobody will have them.” Lotor’s transmission cut.

“No! No! Coran, put him back on!” 

“I can’t princess, they’re jamming all of our signals.”

Allura hit her screen with her fists, her jaw clenched. She has to contact everyone.

 

* * *

 

“Huh? Hunk look up!”

“Whoa! More sentries? Where are they coming from!?”

An incoming transmission window popped up on Lance’s screen so he clicked it open. A panicked Allura appeared, “Paladins! We have a problem! Galra reinforcements have arrived along with prince Lotor. He’s going to destroy the planet!”

“Destroy the planet!?” Lance screeched, “How!?”

“There is a cannon on his cruiser that is powered by Dalbazz’s crystals. The power of the crystals along with multiple bombs he’s placed on the planet will be enough to destroy it!”

“What do we do!? What do we do!?” The yellow paladin panicked but still aimed at destroying as many sentries as he could. There were just too many at this point! 

“Calm down everyone, we’ll think of a way out of this.”

“Shiro!”

The black lion appeared, flying past them to take out ten sentries with its mouth blade.

“What happened with the Dalbazzans?” 

“They’re safe, but I couldn’t establish communication. I think they may be communicating through other means.” 

“Other means? Like how?” 

“I think they’re communicating telepathically. I’m not certain but that’s what I deducted while talking to them.” 

“Paladins! While I’m overjoyed that the inhabitants are safe, we have a bigger issue at hand.” Soon nobody will be safe.

“How long until the cannon is fired Allura?” Shiro asked, destroying an enemy fighter.

“In an estimate of ten dobashes! We don’t have much time!” Coran appeared on Allura’s screen before the castle ship took a hit.

“That’s ten minutes!” Hunk noted, “We won’t make it on time!”

“Allura, do you need back up?” Shiro watched as Allura looked to the side.

“No, we’re alright. Matt and the rebels returned and are providing us assistance.” She assured, looking at Shiro’s screen. 

“Uhhh... about the cannon…” Hunk asked worriedly but soon another window popped up, showing both Pidge and Keith inside the Galra cruiser.

“We’ll take it out.”

“Pidge!”

“Keith! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Lance was anxious, looking over his boyfriend on the screen.

“I’m fine Lance, both Pidge and I.” He assured, sending the blue paladin a smile that made him relax.

“Pidge, explain.” Shiro said through the comms.

“As I said, we’ll destroy the cannon before Lotor has a chance to fire it. If the main vessel through which the blast is being fired out of is destroyed, then Lotor won’t be able to aim it. He won’t have the ability to lock onto a target and if he’s crazy enough to still pull the trigger then he might risk destroying his ships.”

“Pidge, you’re a genius!”

The green paladin brushed her fingers against her chest proudly; “I’m the brains of the team so of course I am.”

“We’re outnumbered. There are too many sentries for us to handle.” Shiro spoke up, “Our only option is to escape and fly up into space.”

“Actually, I have a better idea.” Pidge interrupted, “If we use the firepower of the Galra cruiser, then we’ll be able to damage the cannon enough for it to break. Although we’ll also need our lions to inflict further damage.”

“I’m so glad we have Pidge with us.” Hunk sounded relieved.

“I love you too Hunk. Now then, you guys take out as many sentries as you can. Keith and I will work on the cruiser.”

“Got it!” Lance, Hunk and Shiro said in unison, focusing on the sentries around them. Pidge and Keith’s window closed, leaving the three paladins to their devices.

“Lance! Hunk! Fly out of the planet’s atmosphere. When Pidge and Keith fire that cannon, we need to be there to add onto their firepower.” Pidge said they would need their lions for this as well.

“Are you sure leaving them is a good idea Shiro?” Lance looked at Shiro’s window, hesitant.

“Believe in them Lance. They’re both more than capable to get the job done.” Shiro was right, but still…

“Keith is strong. He’ll make it.” Shiro spoke up again as the black lion’s laser destroyed a heard of sentries.

“You’re right. I believe in him.” Keith is Keith after all.

“Good, now follow me.”

The blue, yellow and black lions fired their lasers to clear a path ahead before flying up and aiming for space.

 

* * *

 

Pidge worked on unlocking the cruiser’s cannon while Keith watched over the Galra commander that was tied up in the corner. Everything was going according to plan until the screen flashed red.

“Keith, I’ll need your help.” Pidge called the red paladin over. The said paladin looked at the Galra one more time in warning before joining Pidge, “What is it?” 

“The cannon can only be activated by a Galra handprint. I’ll need you to take control of it and unlock it’s systems.”

“Got it.” Keith placed his hand against the handprint, letting it scan his hand before the screen turned purple again. They felt the cruiser shake as a hatch at the front of its nose began to open, revealing the weapon. 

“Awesome! Now then, to configure its aim.” Pidge worked her magic, setting the cannon’s aim onto Lotor’s ship. Meanwhile Keith watched the screen, zoomed onto the battlefield above. Shiro and the rest were outnumbered. A fleet of three cruisers was nothing to take lightly.

“Done! Now we just have to let it charge.” The green paladin looked satisfied with her work, turning to look at the screen showing the lions taking down the sentries.

“They need back up. I’ll handle things here.”

Pidge turned to the red paladin, “I can’t leave you alone. What if there are more sentries hiding somewhere? Plus Lance would be furious I left you here alone.”

“There’s nobody here. The cruiser is empty apart from the commander. I’ll be able to handle it.” Keith assured but Pidge wasn’t buying it. She looked at the screen again, seeing a group of sentries attack the yellow lion at once. She bit her lip, leaning against the keyboard again.

“I’ll check and see if there’s anyone else on the cruiser.”

Keith watched and waited until Pidge was done. 

“No sentries or Galra are on the ship. It really is empty.” She confirmed, turning to Keith, “We’ll be waiting for you so you better come back.”

“I will. I have someone waiting for me.” He smiled, a smile that Pidge returned.

“You damn do! All of us!” She ran out and back towards where they had left their lions. Keith watched her leave before turning back to face the screen again. The cannon of the ship was charging up, locked onto Lotor’s cruiser.

 

* * *

 

“Hunk watch out!” Lance spoke through the comms, watching as the yellow lion evaded a deadly blast. 

“Whew! That was close, thanks Lance.”

“No problem.”

“Concentrate!”

They flew, taking out as many fighters as they could. Their numbers were decreasing but there were still too many.

“I have an idea. Let’s go Blue!” Lance pushed his sticks as Blue opened her jaw, blasting her ice blast onto the oncoming sentries. She managed to freeze up to thirty of them in one go.

“Way to go Lance! Keep it up!” Shiro evaded a blast but found himself pinned by two fighters. The black lion struggled to free itself from their grasp until a green blast shot at them, creating green wines that wrapped around them and destroyed them.

“Pidge? What’re you doing here?”

“Saving your ass. Keith stayed on the cruiser to fire the cannon.”

“You left him alone!?”

“There’s nobody on the cruise Lance. I checked before coming here. He’ll be fine." 

“Are you serious? Pidge, he’s ALONE!”

“I know! I wouldn’t leave if I thought he was in danger!”

“But he’s-“ 

“Lance! Keith is capable, trust him.”

“How can you say that Shiro? Do you see that large cannon? It’s aiming at the planet Keith is on!” The blue paladin felt his heart race.

“It won’t have a chance to fire. We’ll take it out before it does.”

“Paladins!” Allura popped up on the screen, “Coran and I are detecting a large heat signature coming from Lotor’s ship!” 

The cannon began to shine in purple color, showing that it is being powered up. It was going to fire any moment now. 

“What do we do!?” Hunk panicked.

“Fire at it! Give it everything you have!”

All four lions focused their fire on the cannon, but they had little effect. They didn’t even put a dent on it! Soon a new window popped up all of a sudden inside all their lions, as well as on Allura’s large screen inside the castle ship. Lotor appeared, grinning, “Attention paladins of Voltron. Before you all die I would like to say that it was a pleasure having to face you in battle.”

“Are you insane!?” Allura yelled, “If you destroy the planet, the blast will hit your ships as well!”

Lotor chuckled at her words, “And what makes you think I’m in any of the three Galra ships?”

Allura stood in place, frozen. This… Was it all a trap? Could she have been blind to it? Was this what Lotor planned from the very beginning? She… She had failed her paladins…

“We’re not going down without a fight! Focus team! Allura, focus all of the castle’s firepower onto the cannon!” Shiro’s voice shook her, her shaking hand moving towards the control panel. The energy from the cannon was too high at this point. Even if they destroy it now, it will…

“Allura?” Shiro’s voice shook in concern. Lotor’s grin widened, watching the paladins and their princess with amusement, “Goodbye Voltron.” Was the last thing he said before his transmission was cut off.

“Allura?”

“I-It’s too late… We’ll all…”

The paladins froze, unable to move a muscle. 

“Allura? What do you mean?” Pidge’s voice was wavering.

“Even if we destroy the cannon now, the blast from the concentrated power will be too big for us to escape. We’ll…” 

“Then we’ll just let it shoot at the planet.” Keith’s voice cut through them, alerting them to a new window that appeared. Keith was standing on the deck of the cruise ship, holding its sticks, “If we can’t destroy the cannon, we’ll just let it shoot at its intended target. Allura, will the Galra cruise be able to withstand the blast? It could minimize the impact so that it doesn’t destroy the planet.” 

The princess stared at her red paladin in surprise, only turning to check with the computer and run a simulation of what could happen if the blast hit the cruiser, “It would minimize the impact, yes.” She spoke up, eyes widening, “Just enough for the planet to survive.”

Keith looked to the side in hesitation before focusing on the screen before him again, “I’ll move the ship to intercept the blast.” He began typing on the control panel and soon the large ship took off from the ground. 

“Keith! You have to get out of there!” Lance yelled, eyes focused on his boyfriend, “I know what you’re about to do and I won’t let you do it, you hear me!?” The blue lion ceased attacking the cannon, turning around to head towards the planet.

“No Lance! Stay away! You’ll get caught in the blast!” Keith yelled back, fully knowing the blue paladin won’t listen to him.

“I don’t care!”

The purple glow of the cannon intensified and suddenly it fired towards the planet. Shiro quickly moved his lion, managing to get to Blue before she would get caught in the blast. He pushed her away, evading the cannon’s path, “Shiro! What are you doing!? Keith!”

Lance’s vision drifted to Keith’s window pop-up, his hands shaking. He searched Keith’s eyes, seeing the fear in them. Keith was scared, tears falling down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry Lance.” His voice was soft and barely above a whisper, “I’m so sorry.” He closed his eyes for a second, opening them to look at the brunette with the most loving expression Lance had ever seen. His own tears began falling down his cheeks in his helmet.

“I love you.” Keith smiled softly and it was the last thing Lance saw before the feed was cut off. He watched in horror as the blast hit the planet, hitting the Galra ship and piercing it before hitting the surface of the planet. 

They felt the planet scream within their bones, watching its last attempt to protect itself with its crystals that shattered at the impact of the blast. The loud bang pierced their ears and the force of the blast even pushed their lions away.

Then everything became dead silent, with only the hums of the lion cockpits to be heard in the background. Lance watched with wide eyes, seeing what’s left of the planet. All he could see was the incredible smoke that was covering everything, preventing anyone from seeing anything underneath. 

“Is that Red?” Lance heard Pidge say, the mention of the lion making him look up immediately, “Where!?” He yelled but then saw the lifeless lion floating around in space.

Lance put Blue into motion immediately, heading towards the red lion. Maybe Keith was inside? No, he had to be inside! 

Once Blue got close enough, Lance made his way out of her jaw, jet packing towards Red. Her mouth was halfway open so Lance made his way through there, running towards the cockpit. The door hissed open, the red chair looming in front of him.

Lance’s heart sped up, taking hesitant steps towards it. His hand shook as he placed it on top of it, finding that it was empty.

The small speck of hope he had was crushed and he felt the tears continue to fall down his face. His weak legs couldn’t support him anymore, falling down on his knees while leaning against the chair.

Keith was gone.

 

* * *

 

It had been two days since the cannon was fired. After everything that happened, everything fell into deathly silence. The halls of the castle ship were quiet, the kitchen, the training room and the bridge where Shiro was seated as well.

The black paladin sat on the floor, looking out at Dalbazz as if he would see any signs of his brother from the distance. He knew his wishes would never come true and yet he couldn’t take his eyes away.

Keith had sacrificed himself to save them all. It’s because of this that Shiro was sitting on the bridge safely and alive, watching the remains of the planet.

Dalbazz was but a shadow of its former self. The planet still maintained its circular shape, however, it had a large indent where the cannon hit, creating a large crater on its side that’s even visible from space.

The grass that was on the surface was gone, replaced by hard rock that now covered the entire planet. Miraculously some of the planet’s crystals survived, sticking up from the ground in an attempt at last minute defense.

Shiro went down to check on the inhabitants after the large cloud of rock and dust had cleared out but the caves had all collapsed, showing no signs of life. Nobody could have survived such an attack.

Many innocent lives were lost, but all Shiro could think about was Keith. Keith didn’t deserve this. Out of everyone, Shiro should have been the one to take the hit. After all, his brother had finally found the happiness he was looking for all along.

Shiro had been through it all with his brother. From the moment Keith had stepped into his house, to his last breath. Keith had been a stubborn kid at first but as Shiro spent more and more time with him, he understood that behind all his anger there was suffering and loneliness. 

Keith had been lonely for the entirety of his life, not having anyone to laugh with or simply someone to talk to. He was searching for that connection for so long and now he had finally found it with Lance. The blue paladin was everything Keith was looking for, and he had even returned Keith’s feelings. 

Even before Lance had confessed, it was clear to Shiro that Lance and Keith had something special between them. The way Lance would stand and look at his brother while he wasn’t paying attention always made Shiro smile.

Lance made Keith angry, frustrated, confused, happy and excited. So many feelings that he hadn’t felt before. As if a spark had been lit up inside him, and Shiro noticed it ever since they became Voltron.

Hunk, Pidge, Coran and Allura were also there, watching out for Keith whenever he needed them. They all became family without even being conscious of it. They only had each other up in space, fighting for the freedom of the universe.

But Keith is now gone… After finally attaining everything he ever wanted. He had just begun to live, only to go. It made Shiro miserable. He felt helpless and useless. He could have done something, said anything to change Keith’s fate. Anything at all, but he didn’t. It all happened in a blink of an eye.

“Shiro?”

Shiro’s tired eyes slowly looked up at Allura. He opened his lips to speak up but his throat was so dry that he found it difficult to talk. He attempted it anyway, “Any… news?”

The princess slowly shook her head before seating herself beside her black paladin, “Pidge ran another scan today. She set her sensors to look for heat signatures as well as any sound frequency that might be unusual. Matt and Hunk suggested to try scanning for any indications of water since the human body contains it. Both yielded no results.”

Shiro’s eyes returned onto Dalbazz, the planet quietly floating in space. He couldn’t come to terms with what had happened. It almost felt as if everything had been a dream. If he would go to Keith’s room right now, he would surely find him there. He had to be there. Where else would he be? 

“I’m sorry.” Allura whispered, placing her hand on Shiro’s shoulder in support, “I’m so sorry.” 

Her words did nothing to relieve Shiro of his grief as he hid his face with his hands. Keith was gone and he’d never come back. Not only had they lost a paladin, but they had also lost an important family member.

 

* * *

 

Lance monitored the scans of his lion with tired eyes, flying in Blue around the surface of Dalbazz for the nth time. He'd been using his lion’s sonic scan to create a model of the planet’s surface and see if he could find anything that way.

Since the scans yielded no results, he began flying around aimlessly, eyes pinned on his surroundings. He found his vision blurring many times in exhaustion. He fought it by blinking it away; his willpower to find Keith was strong enough to keep him going.

It had been four days by now and Keith was nowhere to be seen. Lance had even landed his lion on the exact same spot where the Galra ship was, the only evidence of it ever being there was purple dust that was scattered onto the ground.

What Lance did notice were the crimson crystals that were surrounding that particular area. Many of the crystals that survived where under where the cruise ship was which gave Lance some hope. Hope he wanted to cling to.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance spotted something shining in the sun. He stopped Blue in her tracks, turning her so that he had a better view of the shining object. It was reflecting the sun’s rays, turning them crimson upon contact.

Blue descended closer towards the shine and once she was on the ground, she opened her jaw to let her paladin out. Lance walked closer towards it and as he realized what it was, he took off running. He ran as fast as he could, not caring that his legs felt like bricks slowing him down. Once he reached the object, he kneeled down with shaking hands. What lay before him was the red bayard, shining brightly in the sun.

“Keith?” Lance looked around but saw nothing. The bayard was warm to the touch; it was something that was _his_. This was Lance’s biggest find since he began searching and he couldn’t help the tears that began to fall down.

He held the bayard close to his chest, clinging to it for dear life.

 

* * *

 

Hunk stood behind the counter of the kitchen, focused on making his stress relieving cookies. His body was on autopilot, working on its own while the yellow paladin’s mind drifted elsewhere. Losing Keith had a large impact on all of them and they couldn’t find themselves doing anything else but think of the moment the cannon hit Dalbazz full force.

Hunk could remember it so clearly, as if he was watching the laser impact right this very moment. It was as if time had stopped for them all at that point, even though the universe didn’t change. 

It was frustrating in a sense that they had lost someone so important to them… yet nothing changed. The stars were shining the same way they did before the attack and the planets spun in their place as if nothing ever happened. The universe didn’t care, didn’t register it. Life went on.

Pidge was sitting down at the kitchen table, her eyes half-lidded while looking at the screen before her. She had scanned Dalbazz countless times now and none of those scans showed anything. There were no signs of life at all.

Her fragile finger pressed the enter button, initiating another fruitless scan. Her eyes were fazed and her hair a mess due to her lack of sleep. Nobody said anything, even if they noticed. After all, everyone had the same problem when it came to sleep.

Matt was sitting next to her, rubbing his hand against her back. He didn’t say anything. There was nothing to be said.

Keith was like a brother to Pidge. A member of their little family they had in the castle ship. Matt knew that no words could be said to make the pain go away so all he could offer was the physical assurance.

Right after the mission, Pidge had landed her lion in the hangar, tears falling down her puffed cheeks. Matt was there the moment the green lion’s paws landed against the floor, running towards his sister to capture her in a tight embrace. She had cried so much. He had never seen her like that.

Sleeping was non-existent, even though Matt tried to push Pidge to sleep for at least a couple of hours, she just couldn’t do it. She would stay up every night, scanning Dalbazz’s surface.

Matt looked up at the table that was filled with Hunk’s cookies. There were so many of them and yet nobody was hungry enough to eat them.

The kitchen was quiet, unnaturally so for the rowdy Voltron crew. Matt always loved the feeling of home whenever he would come and visit. The castle ship was special in a way that it felt alive. Even though there was a bloody war outside, the inside of the ship felt incredibly warm. Matt could see it in the smiles of everyone inside, in their laughter and eyes.

Now that warm atmosphere was sliced cut, leaving nothing but despair behind.

When the door of the kitchen hissed open, neither Pidge nor Hunk looked towards it. Their absentminded gazes pointed to their tasks.

“I found it!”

When they heard Lance’s voice, however, they turned around to face him with a hopeful look.

“I found his bayard Pidge!” Lance stormed towards the green paladin hurriedly, pushing away the plates of cookies to place the bayard on the table.

“This has to mean something. I have the coordinates of the location I found it in. Focus your scan there.” Blue eyes locked with hazel ones in determination.

Pidge took the bayard, noting the cracks that were on it’s sides.

“Lance…”

“Run the scan Pidge. I’m transferring the coordinates.”

Nobody said anything when ten scans failed to detect anything in the area.

 

* * *

 

The following morning Lance found himself going to Blue’s hangar. He had just finished observing the planet through the castle ship’s scanners but since he didn’t find anything, he decided to go and have another look himself. 

When he arrived, he saw a tired Hunk standing beside Blue.

“Lance, buddy, I think-“

“Not now Hunk. I’m busy.” He approached Blue’s jaw, his body swaying as he walked.

“Lance, Keith is-“

“No! No, he’s not!” Lance raised his voice, turning to Hunk, “We’ll have better chances of finding him if you help me with Yellow. Get your lion and follow me.”

Lance disappeared within Blue as Hunk watched the mechanical lion rise up and take off. He couldn’t count how many times the blue lion left the hangar since the cannon was fired.

 

* * *

 

One week had passed since the catastrophe and the paladins were slowly coming to terms with what had happened. The team had slowly come to terms with their loss, as unbelievable as it was they had all accepted it.

That is everyone except for the blue paladin. Lance was always on the move. Whenever the team would look for him, Lance would either be in his lion, flying over the planet or inside the castle ship’s bridge, scanning the remains of the planet for the nth time.

At this point they were all worried for Lance’s health. Huge black circles appeared under his eyes and his body shook as he walked. Hunk tried to be his voice of reason, and had the most success in convincing Lance to rest for at least a little bit before he would spring back into action.

Lance didn’t want to accept the truth and if he finally does, it would break him. What he’s doing is destroying him. The team couldn’t endure it anymore and so after a week, they made their move.

They gathered in Blue’s hangar. Waiting for Lance to emerge and head out for his morning search. When the door opened, they all looked up to see Lance’s confused gaze.

“Good, you’re all here.” Lance’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, “Get your lions and help me. We’ll have better chances if-“ 

“Lance.” Shiro took a step forward, his fists clenched by his sides, “Lance, you have to stop this.”

“Stop?” The blue paladin’s gaze turned into a stare, eyes narrowed, “You want me to give up? He’s still out there Shiro, I have to find him!“

“Lance! He’s-He’s not there anymore. He’s gone.”

“How do you know!? Maybe he survived! Maybe-“

“Lance!” Shiro yelled, crumbling under the reality of it all. He thought he had accepted it… He did… But… “Please stop.”

Shiro was never one to show his emotions to others because it portrayed weakness. How good of a leader would he be if he cried? Shiro was always their pillar, someone who they could rely on even in the darkest of times, yet here he was, falling apart in every possible way.

Lance clenched his wrists, walking up to Blue, “He was your brother. You should be out searching! I can find him, I know-“

A loud bang against Blue’s paw made everyone jump up where they stood. Lance’s eyes widened, feeling the sheer pressure of the punch just from the sound of it alone. Shiro’s prosthetic arm was damaged from the force but he didn’t seem to care. Not when he focused his attention on hiding the tears that were falling down his face.

“Lance…” Hunk took a step forward, his eyes searching for understanding within Lance’s blue orbs. Lance was in denial and he did everything he could to distract himself from the cruel reality. Now, however, he had to accept it head on.

“He’s… was… my everything…” Lance choked as tears began to emerge from the corners of his eyes, “What should I… What can I…”

Hunk captured his best friend in an embrace, holding him tightly as he broke down. Allura and Coran did the same for Shiro while Pidge and Matt joined Hunk.

They were all trying to run away from reality in their own ways but now it was time for them all to come to terms with it all. They cried and cried, letting out their sorrow. At one point Lance had let go, going over to Shiro to embrace him tightly. Shiro returned the gesture, holding onto Lance as they wept.

This was their new reality, the truth they had to accept. Keith is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've made it till the end! Thank you SOOOO much for reading! Please if you can give me some comments, it would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> I'll update the next chapter on 7th January, on my brother's birthday. I already have more than half of it done so it will be up on that day.
> 
> This story will be around 2-3 chapters long, each chapter about 15,000 words long.
> 
> Some feedback would be awesome. Thank you.
> 
> Translations:  
> Te extraño y te amo - I miss you and I love you.  
> Te amo - I love you.  
> Una promesa es una promesa. Te enseñaré. - A promise is a promise. I'll teach you.  
> Linda - Cute.  
> Eres lindo - You're cute.
> 
> Note: Everything that is written in Spanish is done by Google Translate. Please feel free to correct me if anything is wrong.
> 
> Also, I took the hair tie idea from Tumblr. I saw a post about a guy keeping hair ties for his boyfriend so I HAD to write it. All credit goes to that user for the idea.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


	2. Time Heals All Wounds, Or Does it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and the rest of the team try to recover from their loss. Everything changes, for better or worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the chapter as promised. I hope you'll all like it, I really tried to make it on time so I typed like a maniac.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> Note: There are a lot of time skips in this chapter so please don't get confused.

Lance knew that the time would come when they would have to leave the system, but no matter how much he thought he was prepared for it, when it came to it, it broke him from within. When Allura announced that the rebels would need their assistance in another system, they all knew what it meant. It was time to return to their duties as the defenders of the universe. 

Lance had remained quiet during the briefing and as soon as it was over, he ran out the bridge, going to his hidden spot in the ship. It was a place he always went to when he was feeling down and after everything that had happened, Lance found himself spending more and more time there. It wasn’t a room but a corridor that was located on the upper level of the ship. Nobody ever passed by the upper levels so it was abandoned.

The blue paladin sat down by the circular window, covering himself with Keith’s red jacket, watching the planet slowly become smaller and smaller as they flew away. He couldn’t stop the tears that escaped him and fell down onto his cheeks. He cried a lot these past couple of days and sometimes they would come without a reason at all. When he flew Blue around Dalbazz, sometimes he would feel the water on his cheeks and inside his helmet. The other times when he would lay down in bed, he would feel the tears come again. At that point he would just stand up and go to Blue again, taking her for another spin around Dalbazz.

He fought the tears but it didn’t matter how hard he tried because they would always come back, even now as Dalbazz slowly disappeared from his sight. Allura had wormholed them away into the black space and now Lance had no idea where Dalbazz was. He felt the need to go back, to search again until he found Keith laying down on the ground somewhere unharmed.

Lance looked up when he heard footsteps further down the corridor. The upper level was dimly lit in comparison to the rest of the castle and as the figures approached, he could finally make out Allura’s face along with Pidge’s own. Pidge had small tears at the corners of her eyes as well, rubbing them away when their eyes met. She kneeled down next to him, hugging him from the side in support. The brunette placed his hand on her head, closing his eyes as he let the tears fall.

Allura joined them as well and soon they were all bundled together in blankets that the two had brought over. They relaxed in comfort of each other’s warmth, slowly drifting off to sleep with tears that were drying on their cheeks. Lance’s tired eyes were half open, staring out the black void of space.

He never knew the universe could be so empty.

 

* * *

 

Lance’s eyes were trained on the ceiling above his bed, watching the spotless wall absentmindedly. He felt cold as he rubbed the corners of his eyes, something that had become a habit by now. He stood up and headed towards the bathroom, taking a quick shower before brushing his teeth. A week had passed since they left Dalbazz, making it the second week since the cannon destroyed the planet.

They always say that time heals all wounds but Lance begs to differ. If he could, he would strangle the person who ever said it. He felt as empty as he did the first day, and he doubted that void would ever be filled. He stared at his reflection on the mirror and for the first time in his life he didn’t give a damn about his beauty products or his everyday routine. That had all become non-existent two weeks ago and Lance didn’t use anything since then. All his skin had been surviving on was the occasional splash of water on his face.

He barely had the will to take a shower or brush his teeth but he did it with a sense of duty. Or perhaps his body did it on instinct on its own. That was probably it.

When he was done, he went back into his bedroom, opening the closet to fish out his clothes for the day. He had no will for creativity so he took out the first few things his hand touched, which was his usual bland grey shirt, blue jeans and his usual sneakers. Then he saw the only speck of red that was in his closet. He immediately reached out for it, putting it on before sniffing at it. It still had his smell… But how long would it last?

Lance found himself clinging to Keith’s jacket and even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the smell, he still hoped it would linger around for a long time. The red jacket felt comforting, as if Keith himself was embracing him from the back. It pulled Lance down towards grief again but at the same time it was so comforting that he couldn’t let go of it. 

The door of the dinning room hissed open, revealing the rest of the team, everyone seated in their usual spots. Lance made his way over, sitting next to Hunk, the other seat next to him empty.

“Morning Lance. Hunk made some pancakes, well, they look like pancakes but they’re actually disguised food goo.” Pidge smiled softly, a forced smile.

The food on his plate really did look like pancakes but the only difference was that they were green in color, “That’s great but I’m not that hungry. Sorry Hunk.”

“No worries.” The yellow paladin smiled, also a forced smile, “Maybe just try eating a little? For me?”

Lance nodded, biting into the food. It was tasteless.

“How is it?” Hunk anxiously asked.

“They’re good.”

“That’s great.” Hunk’s smile widened, everyone eating their own share.

The dining room was quiet except for a few remarks Pidge had made concerning new upgrades on the lions. She had also said that Matt had to leave to join the rebels, something about a rescue mission on a moon of some planet.

“What do you mean by new upgrades? Are the lions okay?” Hunk asked in between his bites, eyes curiously on Pidge.

The green paladin shifted in her chair, turning to Allura hesitantly. The rest of the team noticed, questioning looks on everyone’s faces.

The Altean princess took a deep breath before facing everyone at the table. Coran placed his hand on her shoulder in assurance, a gesture she appreciated, “After the recent events on Dalbazz, the red lion was severely damaged.” Allura turned to Pidge who nodded, taking over. 

“We couldn’t activate Red and even without her paladin, we’re certain that she took a huge blow to her systems. Even if she were to respond to someone, she wouldn’t be able to fly. That’s why we worked on fixing her.” This was Pidge and Hunk’s way of coping with their loss. While Lance was searching, they had been scanning Dalbazz and fixing Red.

“And now she’s operational?” Shiro asked and Pidge nodded.

Allura placed her hands on the table, hesitantly eyeing the blue paladin. She had avoided talking about this for a while now but the galaxy can’t wait any longer, “Its time we find a new red paladin.”

A new paladin…

Lance didn’t say anything as he stood up, heading for the door and out the dinning room. They weren’t ready for a new paladin and yet the galaxy needed them. They needed Voltron.

 

* * *

 

Lance found himself in his usual spot on the upper level of the ship, looking out the window into the empty space. The stars were shining brightly in the darkness, merging together to create a beautiful sight of sparkling lights. The sight was beautiful and yet it irritated him to no end. How can the stars always stay the same? So much had changed, so many things had happened. How could they still shine in the same way they did before?

The blue paladin looked away into the darkness of the corridor, fed up with the stars outside. A bit of time passed before he heard footsteps approaching and by now he had already memorized the pattern of footsteps of each of his teammates.

It wasn’t Allura or Pidge. It was too light to be Hunk and too slow to be Coran, which meant that it could only be their team leader. Shiro appeared under the dim lights, confirming Lance’s guess, "May I?” The blue paladin nodded as Shiro sat down next to him, looking out the window, “The stars are beautiful from up here. It’s a nice spot.”

Lance hummed in response, listening to the sounds of the castle. It’s funny how he found them to be so much more soothing before because now they only reminded him of the emptiness he felt within. Shiro didn’t say anything and Lance was thankful for that. He needed a bit of time to compose himself, to think of responses in case Shiro does speak up. He tried to formulate words, sentences within his mind, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t convey his feelings in words at all.

Lance felt broken.

“I’ve been having nightmares ever since that day.” Lance’s eyes turned towards Shiro when he spoke, listening quietly. 

“Keith appears in all of them, pleading for help. He’s reaching out to me with an outstretched hand, calling my name over and over again. I try to grab his hand every time but before I make it to him, he disappears. The settings may vary but the end result is always the same. By the end of it, he’s gone.”

Shiro had depression. Keith had told him about it before, telling him how Shiro would have frequent nightmares about his time back at the Galra prison, fighting in the ring for his life. When Keith entrusted Lance with this, the blue paladin promised that he would help Keith take care of Shiro in whatever way he could.

Lance couldn’t even imagine how Shiro was dealing with it now.

Everyone on the ship was family but ever since Lance had confessed and he and Keith became a couple, Shiro had become more of a family member than anyone else. If he and Keith were to marry, Shiro would become his brother-in-law. That dream, however, would never materialize now.

“I miss him, we all do.” Shiro’s voice was firm and the attempt to sound comforting was there but it was cracking, “I’m sure that if he were here, he would tell us to move on. Our mission is so much bigger than us. Keith knew that, and that’s why he did what he did.”

“I know…” Lance’s voice cracked from the lack of use, “But I can’t help it Shiro. I miss him so much, so, so much.” The cursed tears began falling down again without permission. Lance felt Shiro’s hand move to his head, gently pushing him towards his chest, “Keith wouldn’t want you to cry. That’s the last thing he would want.”

“He told me he loved me… He said it Shiro… He confessed!” Lance felt his voice choke on his sobs, every attempt he had at trying to hide away his tears crumbled, “And I didn’t get to say it back! How could he do that? That’s really selfish, how can he be so selfish!? I-I wanted to say it back! W-Why?” 

“It is.” Shiro didn’t deny it, “But I’m sure that he wanted you to know. Keith was always afraid of showing his feelings to others so when it came to you; he always thought that his actions weren’t enough. He wanted you to know how he felt.”

Lance sobbed into the red jacket, clinging to it, “If he wanted me to know, then I wanted him to know as well. It’s not fair.”

“I know.” Shiro held a supportive arm over Lance’s shoulder, “I know.”

 

* * *

 

The next couple of days were spent searching for the new red paladin. Allura had invited potential candidates for the position but even if she deemed them worthy, it meant nothing if Red wouldn’t accept them. Lance wanted nothing to do with it. He kept his distance and would usually be in his room, the kitchen or his usual spot on the second level. He told everyone that he didn’t want anything to do with the choosing of the new paladin and instead told everyone to let him know when everything is over and done with.

It may have been selfish of him but on the other hand if he knew, he felt that it would only make matters worse. He wouldn’t accept them, whoever Red chooses, Lance would never accept them as Keith’s replacement. No one would be able to pilot Red as Keith did, nobody.

Apart from Lance, Shiro wasn’t faring any better either. He had also kept his distance from the whole process but unlike Lance, he did check up with Allura on the progress from time to time. Lance also noticed that Shiro had been spending more time in the infirmary lately. He must have increased his medications to cope with everything that happened. Maybe Lance should ask Allura about it later? He did make a promise with Keith.

Allura had brought over fifty aliens by now but Red didn’t respond to any of them. It was time for them to move from one planet over to the other, searching for the future red paladin among the aliens there. Red was a stubborn lion but even though everyone was getting frustrated over the fact that they wouldn’t find a new paladin soon, Lance felt a sense of satisfaction he didn’t want to voice out. He didn’t want anyone else to pilot Red. He knew he was selfish, incredibly selfish but… he didn’t care.

It was when the Galra found them that Lance began to understand just how egocentric he was.

“Paladins! We’re under attack! A robeast has locked onto us and is in pursuit! Get to your lions!” 

Allura’s voice echoed through the halls while Lance was putting on his armor. By now he would have rushed out of the changing room in a blink of an eye but he was still getting ready, putting on his chest armor before taking his helmet. The door of the room slid open, revealing a panting Shiro behind, “Lance, there you are. I wanted to check if you were okay before heading out.” The black paladin looked him up and down, settling on his face, “You ready?” 

“Yeah.” The brunette breathed out, “Ready.”

If Lance wanted to be convincing, then he had failed miserably. Shiro approached him, placing his hands on his shoulders, “If Keith was here, what would he say? What would he do?”

Lance looked up at the mention of Keith’s name. What would Keith do? “He’d kick the robeast’s ass.”

“Exactly. He would be the first one to rush out into action, like he always did.” Shiro’s hold on Lance’s shoulders tightened, “Keith died protecting us. He saved us all and in return, we have to honor his sacrifice.”

Lance agreed. Keith would want him to fight, not sulk around all day. If he saw him right now, he would be furious.

“Let’s go kick some Galra butt.” A small smile appeared on Lance’s face, Shiro mirroring it with his own. The black paladin pat Lance on the shoulders before letting go. He ran back out and soon both of the paladins were running towards the bridge and to their lions. Shiro made it to Black, flying out of the hangar to be met with Yellow and Green who were waiting outside. The robeast they were facing was round like a ball, married with lasers on all its sides. When it would stop attacking, the robeast would change shapes and uncurl from its ball form into a beast like appearance.

“Shiro! To your left!”

Black evaded an oncoming laser, “Nice one Pidge! Keep your eyes on the enemy, I have a feeling this one will be tough to take down.”

“Uhhh… Guys? Where’s Lance?” Hunk asked through the comms, confusing the other two.

“Lance? Lance, where are you?”

The blue paladin heard Shiro’s voice through his helmet, standing in Blue’s hangar, “My lion is not responding to me!” 

“W-What? Ugh!” A laser managed to hit Black dead on, recovering quickly, Shiro shot back. 

“Lance! We need you!” Pidge pressed.

“I’m trying!”

“I’ll go see what’s keeping him.” Allura quickly ran to Blue’s hangar, anxiety settling in. Lance had been able to pilot Blue with no issues thus far. What was the problem? She made it down to see that Blue had her shield up, preventing Lance access. The lion was really rejecting her pilot, “Lance, what’s wrong?” 

“I-I don’t know! Blue is rejecting me.” He fell down on his knees, looking up at his lion in despair. Was he not meant to be a paladin anymore? Had he been that selfish that Blue felt it? Without a new red paladin, the universe would have no Voltron to defend it. They needed Voltron to fight against Zarkon but Lance was opposed to the idea.

Now because of his selfishness, he wasn’t worthy anymore.

“I’m not worthy enough to be a paladin anymore-“

A loud roar made them both jump in surprise. 

“What was that?” He looked up at Allura.

“It’s the red lion. You must go to it!”

“Me? Wait,  _me?”_  Was it roaring for him? But why?

“Lance, Red is choosing you as her new paladin.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not certain but I think that Red had sensed a change in you.” Allura began to explain, “Despite everything that had happened, you still gathered the courage to fight. Red had acknowledged your will to carry on Keith’s battle, honoring his sacrifice by carrying on his will.”

Lance did want to fight but he was far from determined. He found it hard to believe. After all, he was weak, incapable and talentless. He wasn’t brave like Shiro, and he was absolutely certain that he wasn’t as smart as Hunk and Pidge. He would never be as good as them, as good as Keith had been.

“Lance.” Allura placed her hand on his shoulder, “Red has chosen you. We’ve had many candidates come but she didn’t react to any of them. Just like you, I’m sure that she misses Keith dearly. That is why she has chosen to fight alongside you, so that the both of you can carry on his will.”

Lance had never stopped to consider Red’s feelings. Even if she is a huge mechanical cat, she was still close to Keith, as close as Lance was with Blue, a sacred bond that is cherished, “I won’t let him down.” He’ll fight alongside her for Keith’s sake. 

The Altean princess let go, reaching out to take a little something from the side of her belt. When she showed it to Lance, his eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s yours now.” She handed him the repaired red bayard with care.

“Now go.” Allura stressed, the voices of their fellow paladins screaming over the comms. Lance quickly took off, holding the bayard close to his chest.

Red was sitting down in all her glory, glowing yellow eyes lighting up as soon as she spotted him. She stood up and lowered her jaw for him to get in. The brunette made his way towards the cockpit, eyeing the crimson chair before him. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his willpower before finally sitting down and taking control, “This is for you Keith.” 

Red took off from her hangar for the first time since she had lost her paladin.

“Lance?”

“Is that Red?”

When Lance and Red flew towards the others, everyone had been taken aback by the surprising change, “Sorry I’m late guys!” He spoke, firing Red’s lava blast towards the robeast. It seemed to have an effect as the monster cried in pain.

“Nice! Looks like fire has an effect on it!”

“It still won’t be enough! We need Voltron!” Shiro stressed. They had now found a new paladin for Red but they were still down one lion.

The lions flew, creating openings for Lance to blast his lava canon. It had caused considerable amount of damage but as Shiro said, it won’t be enough. 

“Anyone call for help?”

Everyone turned when they spotted Blue fly out of the castle, roaring as she flew towards them.

“Allura? You’re in Blue?” Pidge asked in surprise.

“Yes! It was quite a surprise!”

“Now we have all the lions. Let’s go team! Form Voltron!” Shiro flew in the center as all the lions lined up in their formations. They managed to form Voltron, piercing the robeast through its chest using the blazing sword.

The robeast was taken down and defeated.

Voltron had returned.

 

* * *

 

“Well Blue, I wanted to stay with you but sometimes what we want isn’t necessarily what we get.” Lance stood in front of the blue lion, looking up at her face.

“I’m going to miss you girl.” He and Blue had something special; a mythical bond that Lance felt wouldn’t break even when worse came to worse. But now it broke and he became Red’s paladin instead. However, even though he had changed lions, Lance felt like he would always have a connection with Blue. She would always be special to him.

The doors of the hangar hissed open, revealing Allura in her new paladin armor. The armor was pink in color and it made Lance smile because it fit Allura so well. He always thought she would make a great paladin, but unfortunately the circumstance in which she did was not one where Lance could take joy in the moment.

“This belongs to you now.” Lance formed the blue bayard in his hand before handing it over to Allura. She accepted it graciously with a smile, looking up at him with knowing eyes.

“Thank you Lance.” She put the blue bayard down before it disappeared in thin air, “I’m glad that Red had chosen you. Nobody else would be worthy enough to pilot her.”

A small smile appeared on Lance’s face, “Red and I have a lot in common.”

“I agree.” Allura nodded before the door opened, others coming to join them. They all expressed their surprise but also relief that now they would be able to fight the Galra in full force.

 

* * *

 

After everyone had left, Lance decided to head towards Red’s hangar. He wanted to connect with his new lion and maybe comfort her in her feelings of loss. He felt it during battle, all of Red’s sorrow and loneliness. She misses Keith as much as he does. He sat down next to her paw, leaning his back against it as he looked up. He closed his eyes, focusing on his new connection with Red. Blue’s presence within his mind was gone now, replaced by the warm color of crimson red.

Make no mistake, Blue was as calming and soothing a presence than anything Lance had ever felt before. He will miss her, especially the times she would purr softly within his mind in assurance during times of distress. Now, however, instead of sweet assurances, he felt grief on the other side where Blue’s presence once was. Red was still recovering, just like he was. He didn’t know if time would really fix this, if ever, but eventually their bond would become stronger over time. He could at least hope for that.

Lance focused on the bond, sending assurances just like Blue had done for him. He felt Red’s presence appreciate the gesture, swaying within his mind. He stayed in the hangar until it was time for dinner. He wasn’t hungry but because Hunk had been so stubborn and persistent in making him eat, Lance dragged himself to the dinning room.

The night that followed was the night when the dreams began.

He went to bed right after dinner, finally convincing himself in putting on a face mask. He felt his tired skin react to the product, soaking up the hydrating cream that he had put on after. When he was done with his night routine, Lance made his way to the bed, throwing himself onto it tiredly. He was mindful of the second face mask he had put on in the last fifteen minutes, deciding to keep it on for the rest of the night.

He didn’t know he was as tired as he was, but he must have been because as soon as he hit the bed, his eyes closed instantly.

The first dream began.

Lance opened his eyes to find himself in a dark void of the abyss. If he didn’t look down at his hands and didn’t see that he was standing, he would have thought that the dream was dreamless. You know, those dreams where everything is just black? But he knew this was different because he could move his body and even walk in the dark void.

“Hello? Anybody here?” He called out but nothing happened. He scratched the back of his neck, looking around the void, “This is weird. It’s a dream, right? It must be a dream.” He tried pinching himself but nothing happened, “It’s not working! Why isn’t it working!? Wake up!” He pinched himself again without success. He was still surrounded by black and nothing but black.

“ _Phew_ , okay Lance calm down. Don’t panic yet. It’s just a dream-“ He trailed off when he caught sight of something red. He quickly turned towards it to see something akin to cosmic dust forming a shape of a lion.

The lion was red in color and the red dust sparkled in the black surrounding them, “Red?” Lance felt it, Red’s presence. He had no doubt that this was the red lion but why was he seeing her like this? He had never experienced this with Blue before.

The lion turned and began walking away. 

Lance scrambled up on his feet, following her hastily, “Red?” He called out to her but the lion ignored him and kept on walking. Lance followed, walking close behind her. Then he saw something in the distance. Lance narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what it could be. There was definitely something but he had no idea what it was. He noticed Red turn towards him and then as he blinked, he found himself met with a familiar face.

Lance stood frozen in place, eyes wide and mouth wide open. Even within his dreams, or wherever this was, he couldn’t control his tears as they began building up again, “K-Keith?”

The Keith that stood before him smiled, a smile so soft it tore Lance’s whole being to shreds. The former red paladin stretched out his arms and quickly ran towards Lance to capture him in an embrace. Lance began running towards him as well and just as they were about to meet, he felt nothing, “Huh?”

Lance turned around, noticing that Keith was just as confused as he was. He approached Lance anxiously, eager to touch him, but instead of physically meeting Lance’s body, Keith had passed through him.

Lance tried placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder, his chest, his cheek, anything at all, “Please, no, no.” He was desperate and Keith was as well. They tried but no matter what they did, they wouldn’t touch. It gave Lance an unsettling feeling in his stomach, a thought he didn’t want to think about. A thought that maybe what he was seeing was Keith’s ghost.

Keith stopped, looking up at Lance desperately. His lips were moving but even though they were, nothing was coming out of them.

“Keith, I can’t hear you.” Lance’s words made the other stop, standing in place, a shocked expression on his face.

“Keith?” Lance reached out to touch Keith’s shoulder, his hand passing through it.

He was surprised when Keith kneeled down and hit the ground with a fist, looking up at Lance desperately. His lips began moving again and at this point he tried reading the other’s lips. He attempted it but all of a sudden he found himself unable to interpret anything. His brain tried forming Keith’s words, the words he had read. Just as they came to him, they disappeared as quickly. He found himself confused and a bit scared. He felt like he was losing his mind.

Lance knelt down as well, head lowered so that he was staring into the ground. All of a sudden he felt so empty.

He saw Keith’s hand on his cheek, hovering above it just so that it didn’t pass through him. Lance looked up, surprised to see Keith smiling but also crying. The tears were slowly falling down his cheeks and Lance quickly reached out to brush them off in an automatic reaction. His fingers passed through Keith as if he was nothing but air before him. Keith kept smiling at him, placing both of his hands to hover above Lance’s cheeks so that he was cupping them. Violet eyes closed as the tears kept falling down his face.

Lance couldn’t help it; he let out a loud sob as he leaned closer. What a cruel dream this was. He didn’t know if he should feel grateful or devastated. The image of Keith made him so incredibly warm, forgetting that he was ever gone in the first place. Then again, it also reminded him of what he had lost. He had just began to recover but now? He was back to square one.

He heard Red purr next to them and they both turned towards her. She looked at them with worried eyes before raising her head and roaring. The roar stirred Lance up from the dream as he sat up, panting in cold sweat. When his breathing calmed down, he realized that he was back in his room and on his bed. Then he realized that everything he had seen in the dream had just been an illusion.

He came back to the reality where Keith didn’t exist.

He cried for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

“Hunk! Hunk!” 

“Whoa!” The yellow paladin jumped, almost dropping the plate he was holding. He turned to Lance as the said brunette stomped towards him. Lance grabbed him by the shoulders, pressing tight, “Hunk! I had this weird dream last night and Keith was in it. He was crying! He was smiling too but I couldn’t touch him! I tried and he did as well and then-“

“Lance, buddy, calm down.” Hunk interrupted, “Take a deep breath, in and out, then tell me about the dream.” He led Lance towards a chair, helping him sit down before offering him a cookie.

“I’m good, thanks. So about the dream…”

“You sound shaken up. Are you okay?” Lance had just stormed in shouting and while it wasn’t unusual, it made Hunk worry, just a bit. After everything that happened, you can’t really blame him. Lance had been on his mind a lot lately, worrying for his best friend. 

“I’m fine, I think.” Lance’s voice was soft but Hunk did notice the clenched fist, “I saw Keith, Hunk. I saw him in my dream. It felt so real, like he was actually there. Maybe it means something?”

Lance’s broken posture worried him. Hunk and everyone else knew that Lance would be the one that would be mostly affected by Keith’s passing. There was Shiro too but among them, Allura had taken it upon herself to help him through it all. This meant that Hunk and Pidge would help Lance and while it was a thoughtful idea, it was much easier said than done.

“Did he say anything?”

“No.” Lance shook his head, “He was talking but I couldn’t hear it. He looked so desperate to tell me something. I don’t know what it could be.”

Hunk placed an assuring hand on Lance’s arm, “It was just a dream. With everything that happened… I wouldn’t be surprised if you had nightmares.”

“It wasn’t a nightmare. It felt so REAL Hunk. Maybe Keith is trying to tell me something? Maybe he’s out there somewhe-“

“Lance.” Hunk shook his head, his voice soft and careful in its approach, “It was just a dream.”

“But what if it wasn’t? What if he was trying to communicate!? We should go back!”

“Lance…” Hunk kept his hand on Lance’s arm, a steady hold of assurance, “He’s gone.”

He knew, Lance knew so very well but even now he refused to admit it, especially after the dream that left him dazzled. It felt so real, as if Keith was actually there, even though he couldn’t touch him. He leaned into Hunk, seeking assurance and comfort in his best friend’s presence. He wanted to go out, return to Dalbazz and search again but deep down he knew it would yield no results.

 

* * *

 

A week passed and Lance didn’t have a dream since then.

 

* * *

 

“¡Buenos días a todos!” Lance greeted as soon as he entered the dining room, gaining everyone’s attention. 

“What?” Pidge asked for everyone, watching as Lance sat down on his usual spot.

“Mañana. It’s the word of the day.”

“Again, what?”

“You all should be honored, for the great Lance will teach you all Spanish.” The said paladin pointed his spoon at everyone, “If you learn a word per day, then you’ll be able to speak Spanish in no time.”

“And why would we need to know Spanish?” Shiro asked curiously, eating a mouthful of his food goo.

“You never know when it might come in handy! Where’s your enthusiasm Shiro?”

The group looked at him, confused.

“Spanish? I take it it’s the native language of Earth?” Allura asked.

“Well, no, not really. You see; Earth has many kinds of languages. Spanish is just one of them.” Pidge explained, “For example, where I come from, we speak a language called Italian.”

“Italian? Wait, Pidge! You’re Italian!?”

The green paladin grinned, “Sì.”

Lance’s mouth went agape, staring at Pidge in awe, “You knew Italian this entire time and you didn’t tell me!? How am I learning about it just now!?”

“You never asked.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you just told me! I can’t read minds!” 

“Sei un idiota.” 

“I’m not an idiot!” But despite his words, Lance couldn’t help but smile widely. Italian is a language that is similar to Spanish. This meant that he could understand Pidge and her Italian easily as compared to other languages.

“That’s intriguing!” Allura beamed, turning to her other paladins, “If I may ask, what languages do you speak Hunk?” 

“Me?” The yellow paladin leaned back into his chair; “Me and my family are from Samoa so we speak both English and Samoan.”

Allura leaned onto the table, sparkle in her eyes, “Could you please demonstrate? I would love to hear the Samoan language as well.”

Hunk blushed, scratching the back of his head, “Ou te lei tautala Samoa i se taimi umi.”

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

“Does anyone feel like this is Hunk 2.0?” Lance grinned, enjoying the sight of his best friend’s flustered face. All of a sudden they were learning things about one another they never knew before.

They all turned to face Shiro, the black paladin folding his arms, “My family is from Japan but I was born in the USA. I speak both English and Japanese.” 

Shiro couldn’t escape the expectant stares, sighing in defeat, “これは、日本語のように聞こえる、プリンセス。”

The stares continued, “I have no idea what you just said.” Lance said, eyebrows twitching in need of a translation.

“I said that this is what Japanese sounds like, in Japanese.” A small smile appeared on Shiro’s face, eyes drifting towards the Altean princess who was booming in excitement. She smiled widely in reaction, seeing her paladins in a completely new light. Without realizing it, they all continued speaking in different languages. Pidge talked in Italian while Lance shot back at her in Spanish. He held a small grudge towards her for not telling him sooner and now he was going to blow her ears off about it. 

Hunk was shyly saying some words here and there in Samoan, Shiro was indulging Allura in her curiosity by speaking Japanese with her, all the while the princess and Coran felt free to contribute as well, speaking Altean with the rest. They tried to teach the paladins Altean in the past but being as difficult a language as it is, they didn’t make much progress.

Lance smiled to himself in thought. It made him wonder if Keith knew any other language apart from English as well.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, Team Voltron found themselves in the middle of a battlefield. They'd been sent on a mission to free prisoners that were kept in one of the Galra Empire’s most secure prisons. Word got out that Lotor was the one in charge of the prison, sending his prisoners of war there. Upon hearing the name, Lance was more than eager to go.

Unfortunately they didn’t end up seeing any signs of Lotor but the mission was a success. Lance watched from within the castle’s windows as the rebel fleet carried the freed prisoners away with the mission to drop them off onto their home planets.

Lotor…

Lance made his way towards the bridge, noting that everyone was there. That is including unexpected guests, the Blades and their leader, Kolivan himself.

“We’ve warned you that Lotor had left the system and yet you continued on with the mission. Why?” Kolivan was facing Shiro, conversing with him as one leader to another.

“The primary objective of the mission was to free the prisoners, not find Lotor. Seeing as we did just that, I would say that the mission was a success.”

“That is foolish thinking.” Kolivan narrowed his eyes; “It just means that Lotor has to find a new prison for his future prisoners. Nothing changed. The mission was a failure.”

Shiro’s gaze was unwavering, looking up at the tall alien head on. Kolivan had always been stubborn, honoring and following the code of the Blades to the core of its founding principles. When it came to it, those principles were everything to him, as well as to his fellow Blades.

“Then why didn’t you do something?” Lance walked closer, looking up at Kolivan with narrowed eyes, “If you would have followed Lotor, then the mission would have succeeded. You didn’t do anything to help.”

“Lance.” Shiro tried to speak up, but was interrupted.

“We provided the information you had asked for. It was up to you and your team to carry out the mission. The weight of its failure falls on your shoulders paladin.”

“Does it?” Lance clenched his fists, moving to stand between Shiro and the tall Galra, “Maybe if you and your Blades would actually help from time to time, the war would have already been over.” He spat in anger, “If you would have helped, maybe we would have already captured Lotor! Maybe if you helped, half of the universe would have already been liberated! Maybe if you actually showed up like you said you would… Keith would still be here.”

Lance’s voice trembled towards the end, lowering his head downwards. He was frustrated and with a good reason. Keith did so much for the Blades, even joining them on their missions when they needed the help. And what did they do in return? Turn their backs on him.

“We regret the loss of the former red paladin, however, we know that we must continue the fight. He sacrificed himself for the greater good, just like many did before him. It is because of them that we are where were we are now.” Kolivan began making his way out, followed by the two Blades that accompanied him, “We’ll keep in touch.”

“Cowards.” Lance hissed under his breath, watching as the Blades left the bridge. He felt an assuring hand on his shoulder, turning to the side to see Shiro with as much anger in his eyes as his own had.

 

* * *

 

_Six months passed since that faithful day on Dalbazz._

Just as Lance had thought, time didn’t help heal the loneliness he felt, even after six months. He found himself walking towards Hunk’s room in the middle of the night, knocking on his door. 

The yellow paladin emerged in his pyjamas, brushing away the sleep from his tired eyes, “Lance? What’s up buddy?”

“Lo siento.”

“Is that the word of the day?”

“I guess.” The brunette fidgeted in place, “Do you want to play some Mario Kart?”

Hunk wanted to argue that it was really late and that Lance should go back to bed but he didn’t find it in himself to reject him. Not when Lance had that look of longing on his face.

“You know I always lose.”

Lance’s lips curved just a tiny bit, “I know. I’ll give you a head start.” 

“Deal.”

They made their way to the game room, playing until it was time for Hunk to go and make breakfast, and since they were together and Lance was wide awake, he decided to help his best friend with the meal.

 

* * *

 

“Hand me the springinfer.”

Lance turned to Pidge with a puzzled look on his face. She sighed in return, “The tool that has a circle in the middle.”

“Oh.” He searched through the tools lying before him, spotting the one he was looking for. He handed it to Pidge who continued working on the green lion’s system, something about prolonging the effects of the cloaking device.

“Grazie.” The green paladin thanked him, disappearing under the green panel of her lion.

“No hay problema.” He sat down on the ground, looking around Green’s cockpit. All of the lions had a similar interior design but if Lance had to say it, he would say that Green resembled Red much more than Blue. Maybe it was because Green is Voltron’s hand? Just like Red is, while Blue is a leg. It made sense.

“Any luck?”

“Sì.” Pidge smiled to herself, “With these adjustments, Voltron will be able to stay invisible for up to an hour.”

“An hour? Way to go pigeon.” Lance bumped fists with the green paladin who reached out from under the panel. She grinned, coming out and closing it back up. 

Her eyes travelled down to Lance’s exposed hands. Now that he rolled his sleeves up, she could see the hair tie bracelet clearly. It brought back painful memories. Her eyes moved back up to meet Lance’s eyes, meeting them in a knowing look. Lance raised his hand up, pulling at one tie out of habit, “I never took it off.” His voice was longing, looking at the bracelet fondly. He felt Pidge’s hand on his, making him look up.

Their eyes met again, silent messages exchanged without any words needing to be said. She understood, and Lance knew that she did. It was enough.

“Let’s have a movie night. I bought some DVDs.”

Lance raised a brow, “From the space mall?”

“Where else?” 

He hummed but already decided on agreeing. Movie night sounded good, “Only if Hunk makes the popcorn.”

Pidge grinned, “As if I would let Coran poison me with his pretend green goo monstrosity. I bought Earth popcorn from the mall as well. I got it covered.” 

“Then what are we waiting for?” Lance quickly stood up and ran to the door, “Let’s go!” 

Pidge smiled to herself, hands on her hips, “Almeno aiutami a pulire!”

“Oh no, no! I think you got it covered pigeon!” As if Lance wanted to stick around and clean. He did it enough for Coran, “¡Adiós! ¡Buena suerte!”

“Lance come back!” She called after him, “Non ti darò nessun popcorn!”.

 

* * *

 

After the movie was over and done with, everyone decided to head back to their rooms. That is except for Shiro who had fallen asleep leaning on Allura’s side. The said princess smiled, not daring to move, “I’ll keep him company. You all should return back to your rooms.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” Hunk yawned, stretching his arms up before heading out the room.

Lance followed the rest out before Allura called out to him in a whisper, “Lance, I noticed that the strands of your hair are standing up.” It looked a bit messy, “I was wondering if you’d like me to help with that.” Since the brunette was helping her with her skin, she thought about returning the favor. By now it became a norm so it wasn’t anything unusual that she asked. She had styled Lance’s hair before.

The brunette touched his messy hair tiredly. It’s true that it was out of place but he didn’t feel like doing it now, “Maybe tomorrow?”

Allura nodded, “Alright.”

Lance and the rest left, leaving Allura alone with the sleeping black paladin. She looked down at him, stroking some of the hair away from his face. She tilted her head to the side when she heard quiet mouse chirps coming from the table.

“You’d like to do what?” She listened to the mice that spoke quietly.

“I don’t know… Do you think it’s a good idea?”

The mice nodded in unison.

“Okay.” She agreed before they jumped happily, “I trust your skills.”

The mice took off running out of the room, Allura chuckling as they went. She returned her attention onto Shiro, looking down at him with newfound worry. The expression on his face had turned into a pained one, immediately knowing that he was having a nightmare.

“Shiro.” She gently nudged him awake as the black paladin’s eyes shot wide open.

“Allura?” He looked around and once he noticed that he was safe in the castle, he laid his head back down with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I must have dozed off.”

“It’s quite alright.” She assured, “Would you like me to walk you back to your room?”

Shiro shook his head, “You’re already doing so much for me. I’ll manage.” He sat up, stretching, “Actually, I should be the one asking you.”

The princess was taken aback by the offer, sitting still for a moment before nodding in agreement, “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Shiro smiled, both of them making their way out of the room.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Lance woke up to the chirping of the mice. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim lights of the castle before spotting the chubby mice that was sitting on his chest. He squealed in surprise, sitting up in a startle. The poor mouse fell down as he did but luckily none of them fell off the bed.

“W-What? What are you doing here?” He asked, noticing a strange device in his lap. He picked it up in his hand to examine, “Is this… a hair straightener? For real? We had this in the castle all this time!?”

The mice chirped, one of them pointing to Lance’s hair.

The brunette touched his head curiously, noting how soft and straight his hair was. He was mindful of the mice as he stood up and went to see himself in the mirror. He marveled at the sight, turning his head from side to side, examining his new hairstyle. The mice didn’t cut anything but the way they made his hair straight changed his appearance completely. Lance did try straightening his hair before but it was never this good.

“Its perfect!” 

The mice chirped happily, moving to stand on his shoulders. They beamed, proud of themselves.

“You did this while I was asleep?”

They all nodded in unison.

“Wow… Thank you! I love it!”

Suddenly the door to his room hissed open, “Lance!”

Coran’s voice made everyone jump, the mice running down Lance’s hands to sit beside the sink.

“Did you see those little rascals? They stole my- Oh no! There it is!” Coran made his way to Lance’s bed, grabbing the hair straightener that was on it, “So they did take it! Those little… What would I do without this?”

Lance made his way out of the bathroom, the mice hiding behind his legs. So the hair gadget was Coran’s? “It’s yours?”

“Well of course! Whose else would it be!?” 

“I don’t know, maybe Allura’s?” His face began to pale, “What are you using it for?”

“Hmm?” The older Altean began stroking his moustache and suddenly Lance had an idea in mind. He didn’t know how to feel about it, “For my pride and joy of course! Did you think this beauty is naturally so straight?”

The hair straightener was Coran’s… and he is using it for his moustache, and now the mice used it on his hair. He wanted to puke.

The mice began to chirp, looking up at Lance who had no idea what they were saying.

“Ah! There you are little rascals! I knew you were the ones who took it!” He began chasing after the mice who ran out of Lance’s room and into the hallway.

“Thank you for the help number three! It’s highly appreciated!” Coran peeked out the door before disappearing again, chasing the mice.

Lance stood in place, debating on whether he should wash his hair or not. He wanted to wash it really badly. Maybe he could ask the mice to style his hair again? But without Coran’s gadget this time. He decided on washing it and taking a shower. The mice didn’t mean any harm. It was the thought that counted. He’ll definitely ask them to help him again, both the mice and Allura.

 

* * *

 

During the night, Lance found himself in Red’s hangar. He couldn’t sleep so he decided to go to his new lion, Keith’s red jacked wrapped around his shoulders. He always found Red’s presence comforting, a different kind of feeling than Blue’s assurances, but reliant in its own right. Red reminded him so much of Keith. Whenever he would look at her, he would always think of Keith’s smiles and the way he fought to protect everyone in battle. He was so protective of the entire team but would rather bleed than admit it, typical mullet.

Lance made his way inside the cockpit, moving to sit down in the pilot’s chair. The lights were switched off to show that Red was sleeping and so Lance did the same, curling up in a cocoon to try and fall asleep. Sleep didn’t come easy so while he was awake, Lance traced his fingers over the sticks that they used to drive the lions. He had driven Red before so it wasn’t anything new. It was the thought that Keith used them as well that held significance in Lance’s mind.

His eyes were heavy, defying Lance’s attempts to stay awake just a bit longer by closing themselves shut. Now that he was inside Red, he felt much more comfortable going to sleep.

What he didn’t expect, however, was for Keith to appear in another one of his dreams.

Lance found himself in the familiar abyss he was in before. Everything around him was black and he could feel the same sensations of moving his body like he had in the last dream. When the realization hit him, Lance began to yell out loudly, “Keith! Keith! Are you here!?” He heard a low growl behind him, jumping in place, quickly turning to see the familiar image of the red lion. She was looking at him with focused eyes, gaze never wavering.

“Red?” He took a step forward, “I-Is Keith here?” 

The lion didn’t respond at first, continuing to stare at him. Then Red tilted her head to the side and Lance followed her gaze onto a crimson sparkle that was in the distance. It shone brightly in the black around them, being the only light source for miles away. 

He took off running as fast as he could, not caring about anything else other than reaching that red light. He panted but didn’t pause in his run. He had to get there; he had to see what it was.  _Keith. Keith. Keith._

Blue eyes widened when the object in the distance was finally close enough to be identifiable. Lance felt his entire body shake, frozen up in place. The sight before him… It was Keith but… He was trapped in crystals.

Lance finally managed to move his legs, moving closer so that he stood right in front of the mullet. Keith appeared to be sleeping peacefully, his body trapped in a crimson crystal that went up to his hips. His face was so peaceful… Lance moved his hand to touch him but just like before, his hand went through as if he were a ghost. He cursed to himself, frustrated at the lack of touch.

His attempt, however, did seem to have some effect as Keith’s eyes slowly began to open. Lance’s breath hitched, watching as Keith slowly titled his head up to look at him. Their eyes met but it was at that moment that Lance felt another wave of cold air run through his body, freezing him up.

Keith’s once beautiful eyes were now empty. They were still purple in color with specks of black and silver; the galaxy was there but now the stars were lifeless. Lance had never seen anything like it before. 

He leaned in closer, trying to cup Keith’s cheeks but failing miserably, causing him to curse again. He examined the violet eyes and noticed that there was a speck of light in them he didn’t see before. There was still some light inside but it was quickly fading away, as if it was being drained out of him. Lance’s hands began to shake in fear.

“Keith?” His voice shook as he spoke, his own blue orbs never leaving Keith’s face. He noticed Keith’s attempt at trying to move, feeling the struggle as if it was his own. He saw the corners of Keith’s lips move upwards to form a smile but while it should have given Lance some assurance, it only frightened him further. He had never seen a smile this painful in his entire life. It hurt so much that he felt it shake the core of his entire being.

“Keith…  _Keith_ …” Why? Why couldn’t he touch him? Assure him? Why?

He noticed that Keith’s lips slowly began to move, no voice to accompany the movements. This time he would lip-read everything, at least that’s what Lance told himself, but just like before, the words vanished as fast as they had formed in his mind. 

He felt a tear fall down his cheek but he didn’t care. All of his attention was on that painful smile and those empty violet eyes. The sight hurt him and by now Lance was absolutely certain that this was the worst nightmare he ever experienced. It felt so real, so very real.

A loud growl alerted him to Red’s presence and soon he felt something push him to the side. He fell down on the ground with a thud, feeling a heavy presence hover above him. Red was growling, showing her canines as she looked down at him with fury in her eyes. Lance didn’t know what to do, eyes moving to spot Keith still trapped in the crystal beside them. He moved his hand to reach out to him, to touch that fragile pale hand. He tried but another ferocious growl snapped him in place.

The last thing Lance saw was Red moving down to bite him before he woke up, opening his eyes to find that he was curled up in Red’s cockpit. His breaths were heavy and uneven, eyes wide as he stared at the blank screen before him. He slowly willed himself to calm down, even down his breathing to come back to himself. Shaken up and determined, Lance decided to go back into the dream. He’ll return to the black abyss even if it kills him.

He tried falling asleep again but just like before, it proved impossible. It was especially hard now after having the nightmare he had. However, once he did manage to fall back to sleep, he found out that the rest of his night was dreamless. He couldn’t go back to the abyss. 

When he woke up again, Lance ran out of the hangar, heading straight for Hunk’s room. He had to tell someone,  _anyone_  about what he saw. He couldn’t shake off the horrifying feeling that if he doesn’t share the knowledge, then he’ll forget it as if it didn’t happen at all.

Once he reached the door of his best friend’s room, Lance began to bang on it, “Hunk! Wake up!” He hit the door again and again until it slid open, revealing a startled Hunk.

“W-What happened!? Are we under attack!? What’s-“

“Hunk! I had a dream!” Lance placed both of his hands on the yellow paladin’s shoulders, squeezing them tightly and making the other wince, “I was in the black abyss again! Red was there! I saw her and Keith too! He was there! He was… was…” Huh? What was Keith doing? He… couldn’t remember.

“Lance, buddy, calm down. Come inside and sit down.” Hunk led him in, managing to free himself of Lance’s grip as he helped his friend sit down on his bed. All the while the brunette had his eyes wide open in shock. What did Keith do in the dream? He remembered seeing him but then everything after that was a blur.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Hunk sat beside him, a reassuring hand wrapped around his shoulder.

“I saw Red and then Keith. I know they were there but then… I don’t know.” He leaned his head against both of his arms, trying to remember the dream.

“It’s okay.” Hunk began rubbing his back; “A lot of people forget their dreams the moment they wake up. I forget everything the moment my eyes open. It happens.” 

That’s true. Lance had those moments as well but somehow, this felt different. It was a different kind of forget. He felt as if he needed to remember, that it was something important. It frustrated him to no end. How could he forget something so important?

“But I want to remember. I need to Hunk.”

“I know.” Hunk said in almost a whisper, “I know bud.”

The room became silent, frustratingly so. Only if he could remember, Lance would be talking his ears out about the dream and everything that happened within it. What if the dream meant something? It had to have. Why else would he be having it?

“It was a nightmare.” That he knew for certain.

“Want a hug?” Hunk offered and it made Lance lean in closer.

“Yeah.” Hunk’s bear hugs were what he needed right now.

 

* * *

_A little more than a year had passed since the events of Dalbazz._

“Are you sure? Is Lotor really on Balmera?” Lance yelled as soon as he entered the bridge, the castle ship about to enter a wormhole.

“Shay called. She said that a Galra ship landed on the planet.” Hunk looked concerned, shifting in his assigned seat.

“We don’t know why the Galra would risk infiltrating a planet that is a part of the Alliance. They must be desperate.” But for what? Allura had a bad feeling about this.

“But how do you know its Lotor? It could be any Galra!”

“Lance! Calm down!” Shiro stood up and turned to face him, “Yelling won’t help us figure this out.” His stern voice demanded obedience, managing to make Lance sit down in his seat.

The brunette glared at Shiro, trying to be calm but at the same time demanding to know if it was really Lotor down there, “We haven’t seen him since…” Since they lost Keith, “Now we finally have a chance to take him down.” The urgency could be felt in Lance’s voice, his need to finally get his hands on the one Galra he wanted to kill more than anything else.

“I know.” Shiro’s voice sliced through the bridge, “I know how you feel Lance but right now we have to proceed with caution. If it really is Lotor down there…” Shiro didn’t know what he would do to him. The prince wouldn’t even be recognizable if Shiro had his way with him.

Sensing the tension in the bridge, Allura turned to Hunk, “We’ll be in Balmera’s atmosphere in a tick. Hunk please let Shay know that help is on the way.”

“Got it.”

The castle entered the wormhole and soon the ship was hovering above the said planet. Down below, the castle’s scanners spotted the Galra ship, zooming in further to find out that it was Lotor’s flagship. The Galra prince was definitely here.

Lance’s jaw clenched, his fists tight as he stared holes into the Galra ship. It wasn’t one of the cruisers that were present on that fateful day, no; the lions had long destroyed those. It was the notion that it belonged to the man who had taken everything away from Lance that really did it. He was boiling all over, itching to get down there and kill Lotor in cold blood.

“Okay, listen up.” Shiro turned to face them all, his expression dangerous, “This is what we’ll do.”

 

* * *

 

The lions flew out of the castle, flying together in a formation towards Lotor’s ship. He had made a grave mistake placing the ship so close to the planet with lower chances of escape. The paladins were going to use this against him. 

“Paladins!” A window popped up on their screens, showing a distressed Shay, “We’re under attack! Galra sentries have begun advancing down into the caves. Our warriors are keeping them at bay but I’m afraid that they won’t last for long.” 

“Don’t worry Shay, we’re on our way.” Hunk sped up Yellow, urging his lion to fly faster towards the ground. The rest of the team joined him until they landed, getting out of their lions.

The Balmerans had given them a heads up to let them know that they spotted the Galra prince down in the caves. This meant that a considerable amount of Galra soldiers were down on the ground instead of the ship hovering above. Shiro had considered taking out the ship first but that would be risking the safety of the Balmerans. That’s why they decided to head down first, find Lotor, and then destroy his ship. This way they wouldn’t waste the time reaching Shay and her people.

The paladins made their way out of their lions, quickly entering the caves in a run. Lance felt his heart beat in his chest, thumping loudly against his chest armor. His grip on the red bayard was tight as he ran.

They all ran as fast as they could, until Hunk broke the silence, “Could this be related to… you know.”

The team knew what Hunk meant, memories of that day flashing before their eyes. Dalbazz was, still is Balmera’s sister planet, which meant that Lotor was here most likely for the same reason, that is for the planet’s crystals. 

When Pidge analyzed the data she had downloaded from the doomed Galra cruiser a year ago, she didn’t find anything she hoped for. It seemed like Lotor didn’t like to document his plans in the Galra Empire’s systems so there were no traces of information as to why the Galra were on Dalbazz that day. However, since Lotor did take some of the planet’s crystals, the paladins are confident in their guess.

Lotor needs the crystals for something. The big question was; what for?

“Hunk!” They spotted Shay at the end of the tunnel, Hunk running toward her to hold her in his arms, holding onto her tightly in an embrace.

“Are you okay?” Hunk asked worriedly, looking over his girlfriend for any injuries.

“Yes, you don’t have to worry.” She smiled at him but then turned to Allura and the rest, “I can’t say the same for the warriors keeping the Galra at bay.”

“How many are there? Where are they?” Shiro asked.

“There’s prince Lotor, and four other Galra that are with him. I think they may be half-breeds. They didn’t seem fully Galra.”

“Lotor’s generals.” Shiro spat. They should have expected them, after all, wherever Lotor is, they would be there too. 

“They’re taking some of Balmera’s crystals. I-I don’t know why.”

“It’s okay Shay, we’ll take care of it.” Hunk assured, “Go hide.”

Shay tightened her hold on Hunk’s hand, telling him that she would help evacuate her people from the battlefield. Hunk had second thoughts about it but he knew how stubborn his girlfriend was when it came to protecting her people. He let her join them but then watched as she stopped to help a fellow Balmeran that was laying down injured on the ground. With a nod, Hunk continued running, hoping that Shay would be okay.

The paladins ran, spotting a couple of Balmeran warriors on their way, lying down injured on the ground. They were close, very close. Then suddenly, they heard gunfire.

Shiro stopped in his run, “Stick to the plan.” He gave Lance a stern look, “Especially you Lance.” 

The said paladin locked eye contact with Shiro, sending a silent message of understanding but also fury. Shiro knew how he felt and in return Lance knew what he must be feeling as well. They both felt the same need for revenge, the urgency to make Lotor pay for what he has done. Allura was more than worried, feeling the tension in her two paladins. Lance and Shiro’s emotions might possibly compromise the entire mission. Even worse, something could go horribly wrong and one of them could end up badly injured. She didn’t want a repeat of Dalbazz.

Gunfire ceased as the paladins made their way further down the cave. Lance had split up from the group as planed, going to the higher ground. He willed his bayard to turn into its secondary form, the gun in his hand turning into a sniper rifle.

He got into position, kneeling down on one knee to look though the scope of his rile. He saw the familiar faces of Ezor, Zethrid and Acxa down on the ground. The three half-breeds were helping some of the sentries load up the Balmera crystals into a pod. As soon as they did, the pod began to float, flying out of the opening that was above.

Lotor was here for the crystals, there was no doubt about it. Lance watched as they began filling another pod. 

He moved his rifle, searching for the Galra prince. Once he spotted a speck of white, Lance paused, locking onto Lotor. His hands began to shake and his eye narrowed when he saw the man he had been searching for a year. Lotor was the same as he had been on the pop-up window of Blue’s screen. His hair was the same length as it had been, the same despicable grin was on his face tilted in the exact same manner as it had been when he bid them goodbye and fired the cannon onto Dalbazz.

Nothing had changed; Lotor was exactly the same as he had been on that fateful day. Lance boiled in anger, killing intent set soaring as he aimed his rifle at the prince. He knew that any sign of emotion would expose him as a sniper, something about a seventh sense and all, but he didn’t care. Not when he could barely hold in what he was feeling right this very moment. 

He watched as Lotor observed his soldiers load the crystals, and then all of a sudden his gaze turned towards him, looking directly at Lance. The prince’s grin widened as he looked up and Lance felt the immediate need to pull the trigger. He was about to shoot when all of a sudden he felt a hand on the top of his head, gripping his skull tightly.

He screamed from the pain and immediately he could hear the voices of his teammates through the comms, “Lance! What happened!? Are you okay!?” Shiro’s voice was distant, the pain growing stronger. It reached its peak until there was nothing.

Lance turned limp, moving his rifle towards the other paladins, aiming at them. His body wouldn’t listen to him, even though he urged it to move, fight the Galra that was behind him. Mind control. There was only one Galra he knew had that ability, Narti. He knew he was right when he spotted her black cat jump beside him, licking its paws in a mocking manner.

He felt his body pull the trigger, aiming the bullet at Pidge. Lance’s shots never missed, it was his deadliest skill but also talent. That’s why he had earned his title as the group’s most skilled sharpshooter. The rest knew this, none having the skill to evade his aim. That is everyone except for Shiro. The black paladin moved swiftly, managing to block Lance’s shot before he urged the rest to hide behind a rock. Shiro could block Lance’s bullets but there was no saying how long he would last. He didn’t want to admit it but he had gotten lucky in evading the last shot.

“Lance! Snap out of it! Lance!” Shiro yelled but Lance moved the rifle, waiting for an opening should any of his friends peek out of their hiding spot. He felt Narti dig into the depths of his mind, trying to extract information while controlling him at the same time.

He tried fighting her control, his hands shaking as a result of the internal battle. He fought it, not noticing that the rest of the Generals made their move, forcing the rest of the paladins out of their hiding spot. Now he had a clear aim at them all and should he shoot, he was sure that the blow would be deadly enough to severely injure them, worse, possibly kill them. He willed himself to snap out of it, watching as his body moved, aiming his rifle towards Hunk now.

He felt the chains that were coiled around his brain, desperately trying to set himself free. He was close, managing to regain a speck of control just enough so that the bullet missed Hunk’s vitals, instead grazing his arm. The injury wasn’t severe but it did severe damage to Lance knowing that he was the one to injure his best friend.

_“Don’t fight it. Give into it.”_

He heard Narti’s whispers echo within his mind like a lullaby, lulling him to sleep. He resisted, finding himself in the black abyss of his mind. This time, however, it was different. He felt glowing purple chains that were wrapped around his body, restraining all of his movements. He was trapped, looking up to spot Narti standing before him.

 _“Sleep.”_ She whispered and Lance felt tempted to do so. His body was heavy and his eyes tiredly closing themselves. Despite the odds, he willed himself to stay awake, looking around the blackness around them. He thought of his dreams and the incredible feeling of familiarity he had of that place. The place he was in now was the same, exactly the same. His dreams… Could they be taking place within his mind as well? Maybe they weren’t dreams after all. 

A loud roar made him flinch, spotting the red lion standing just behind Narti. The half-breed didn’t have any time to react as Red jumped up on her, pinning her to the ground. He felt the chains tighten around him, gasping in pain. Lance watched as Red stared down at the Galra, locking eyes with her in a dangerous manner before biting. Lance felt the chains around him break and soon he was snapped back to reality. He had control over his body again, swiftly moving to hit Narti, sending her down on the ground.

The half-breed couldn’t scream but her cat did it for her, screeching while rolling on the ground. This pain… It didn’t come from Lance’s hit but rather from Red’s bite. Narti was rolling in the dirt, her hands sternly on her head and Lance was sure that if she had a mouth, she would be screaming her lungs out. He could make that much from her body language as well as the screeches that were coming from her cat.

Lance turned, deciding to focus his attention down on the battle again. His scope caught sight of Lotor who ran, trying to escape the slowly crumbling cave. The slight fear in his eyes satisfied Lance.

He pulled the trigger of his rifle, managing to hit Lotor just before he hid behind a rock. The Galra prince had his eyes on him more than anyone else and Lance knew it was because he considered him the biggest threat. Good, that’s how it should be. Lotor had a reason to fear him because Lance was hungry for his blood. The incredible blood thirst he had… he couldn’t control it, so he decided to set it free.

He flinched away just in time to evade a gunshot, hiding behind a crystal that was beside him. Having his position compromised was the only problem he faced as a sniper. It was a deadly weakness that could be fatal if not cautious enough. He caught sight of Acxa, her eyes narrowed on him. They were all cornered and the paladins had an upper hand. With the Balmeran warriors coming in as reinforcements, Lotor and his Generals were cornered. 

A small Galra ship made it through the opening of the cave, hovering above the battlefield. It was big enough so that Lotor and his Generals would fit but the sentries that were with them would have to stay here. That seemed to be the plan as the Generals made their way to the ship, covering Lotor who desperately made his way up.

Lance locked his rifle onto him, aiming at Lotor’s vitals. He locked onto his chest, aiming straight for the heart. He pulled the trigger but managed to hit Ezor who threw herself in line of the fire. The bullet managed to hit her shoulder, wounding her but not fatal.

Lance was about to fire again, focused on Lotor. He was about to pull the trigger when he felt someone push him from behind, the black alien cat clawing at his helmet. He felt Narti squeeze his throat and he struggled to breathe. He felt his body weakening but managed to kick the half-breed off with his leg.

Narti braced herself for another attack with a mission to distract Voltron’s sniper. Shit! With her here, Lance would have no chance to shoot at Lotor again! He growled in frustration, his sniper gun turning to a regular gun. 

“Lance!” He heard Allura yell, managing to turn just in time to evade a blast from the small Galra ship. It hovered above ground, waiting for Narti to board before it would take off. Lance shot at the ship as Narti jumped, he managed to inflict damage onto one of it’s engines but the ship still managed to take off. 

Lance cursed under his breath, the rest of the paladins looking up at the sky, “We need to get back to the lions!” Shiro said and soon everyone found themselves running back. They were faster than they came in, everyone entering their respected lions. Lance threw himself in Red’s seat, gripping her controls as he set her in motion, not looking back to see if the rest were behind him. He noticed the small ship in the distance, entering the large cruiser just before Lance could make it there on time.

“You’re not getting away.” He grumbled under his breath, shooting Red’s laser towards the cruiser. It hit and the impact of the blast created a small explosion, damaging part of the ship’s systems.

Soon a particle barrier was set in place in an attempt at defending but Lance didn’t care. He fired at it again and again, set on breaking it.

“Everyone attack the barrier with everything you’ve got!” Shiro seemed to have the same thing in mind and now all of the lions were blasting their lasers towards it. They managed to take the barrier down, just as Lotor initiated a hyper drive to get away. 

They could do nothing as Lotor’s ship vanished, nothing left in its place.

“No! No! No! No!” Lance yelled, his fist hitting the screen panel before him. Lotor escaped. He managed to slip between their fingers yet AGAIN. It was frustrating, vexing, that they let him get away again.

Nothing changed, nothing at all. Lance was still weak just as he had been that day on Dalbazz. Despite all of his training to become stronger, better, the results were still the same.

When Allura told them all that they should go down and see if the Balmerans were safe, Lance turned Red to head downwards. He felt useless, utterly useless.

 

* * *

 

The Balmerans didn’t sustain any major damages. Sure there were some who were injured in the fight but all in all, it wasn’t as bad as they expected. The Balmera as a planet also seemed fine but the taking of its crystals without permission hurt it.

Allura agreed to perform the ritual so that the damages would be compensated for. While she did that, Hunk went to help out Shay in taking care of the injured. His smile was wide, smiling from the bottom of his heart as he looked at her. Although when he would notice Lance’s gaze out of the corner of his eye, his smile would quickly falter. He felt guilty for showing his emotions in front of his best friend. That’s why Lance decided to head to the castle, they didn’t need him, everything was taken care of. Shiro and Pidge could manage helping the injured on their own. It might have been selfish of him to stay back like that but he felt like he could act like it in a situation like this.

Lance made his way back to his room, throwing himself down on his bed. It felt so empty, so cold. He closed his eyes with the aim to go back into the black abyss. However, when sleep finally caught up to him, Lance found himself in another dreamless dream.

 

* * *

 

_Two years had passed since the attack on Dalbazz._

Lance was in the training room, shooting at his targets with frightening accuracy. The scoreboard followed him with every shot he made, pushed to the brink of malfunction. Lance hit the targets with deadly accuracy, which is the reason the scoreboard had difficulties keeping up with him. Every shot was a 100 out of a 100, so much so that it was frightening.

Once the program he set came to an end, Lance sighed to himself in content. He looked up, a perfect score. He was on top of the scoreboard, closely followed by Hunk who tried but still had a long way to go to even reach close enough to beat Lance.

The red paladin was a pro, a true sniper and a true sharpshooter of the team. It was no wonder that soon his reputation began spreading throughout the galaxy as the deadly shadow of Voltron. When in battle, their enemies never knew when one of their allies would drop dead out of nowhere, a result of Lance’s deadly presence in the shadows.

That was his place on the team, his way of protecting his family. He had been training himself for the past two years, never missing out on training, unlike he did in the past. He was a changed man, different in mindset from his past self. He had paused many times during training, thinking that maybe if he were this strong back then, Keith would still be here.

He didn’t want to think of the past. He told himself that many times before but it was hard not to. He’d like to think that he was doing better now, and he was, don’t take him wrong. It was just hard to forget.

Done with his training, Lance made his way to the showers, washing the sweat away before going to the changing room. He put on his pants and the usual white and blue t-shirt before spotting the red jacket in his locker. A smile made its way onto his lips, gently taking the jacket out of the locker before putting it on. Keith’s smell had long disappeared but Lance still loved the feeling it gave him whenever he wore it.

Today was the two-year anniversary since Keith had passed away. Maybe that’s why Lance had been on edge lately. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day than going to the bridge, so that’s what he did. With the jacket wrapped around him, Lance made his way to the said room, finding Pidge and Hunk inside, working on something at Pidge’s seat. 

“Try it now. I think it should work.” Pidge handed Hunk his communication device, the one he always used when he would want to call Shay. Lance liked to call it Hunk’s love line.

The yellow paladin took a picture of himself, pressing a couple of buttons before throwing his hand up in the air in a cheer, “Yes! It works! She replied! She saw it!”

“Good, now we can finally work on other more productive things.” Pidge teased.

“Hey! This is more than productive!” Hunk sounded offended but his smile didn’t waver, “I can finally send Shay pictures of planets we visit. She’s been asking me about it for a while now.”

“But why pictures? I get that we see a lot of cool stuff but wouldn’t she be lonely?” Lance found himself agreeing with Pidge but still deciding to keep himself hidden. Just for a tiny bit longer.

“Yeah, I thought of that too.” Hunk admitted, “I told her but then she said that she wouldn’t feel that way at all. On contrary, she would feel closer to me if she saw the things I see every day. In the end I agreed with her so here we are.”

“Here we are.” Lance’s voice startled the two, looking towards the door to see the brunette enter.

Hunk quickly hid the device behind his back without thinking. By now it had become an immediate response whenever he saw Lance. In the past, Hunk would talk his ears off about Shay and how wonderful she was, but now? He would never mention her in any of their conversations, ever. As if it was a taboo topic.

“Hiding something Hunk?” Lance teased as Hunk looked away. 

“N-Nothing at all, Pidge and I were just talking about the anti-gravity generator.”

Lance sighed, folding him arms as he pulled the red jacket closer towards himself. Hunk shouldn’t feel guilty talking about his girlfriend. He has every right to. Just because of what happened… It didn’t mean that Hunk had to be this way. “Hunk.” Lance’s voice made the yellow paladin turn to look towards him, noticing the soft smile Lance had on his face, “It’s not your fault and I don’t feel the way you think I do when you talk about her.”

The look on Hunk’s face told him that he understood what Lance meant, “I want to hear what you and Shay are up to. It’ll… It’ll make me feel better.”

Hunk didn’t say anything in return, searching Lance’s eyes for confirmation. He tried to spot any sign of hurt and it was there, however, he felt as if it was for another reason. The red jacket told both Pidge and Hunk everything they needed to know and suddenly they remembered the precious moments they had spent with Keith.

Today was the two-year anniversary since Dalbazz was hit. Had it really been that long?

Hunk smiled softly at his best friend, moving his hand to reveal the device. He stepped closer and then began showing Lance the pictures he had already taken. The pictures were of the castle’s kitchen, some devices Hunk was working on and then of stars that could be seen outside the castle.

Lance found himself smiling at each and every picture. There was so much love and thought that went into them that it made something within him realize that no matter how much time would pass, the emptiness he had would always stay with him, a wound that would never heal. He didn’t let it show on his face though, keeping it tucked away deep within himself.

“I want to make something special for dinner. How about a cake?” 

“Sounds good.” Lance agreed.

“Perfect. I’ll go ahead and prepare everything.” Hunk looked at Pidge, “Help?”

Little pigeon rolled her eyes, “Fine, but only because it’s for the special occasion.”

“You’re the best Pidge.” And with that, the two of them disappeared down the hall, leaving Lance alone in the bridge just like he wanted.

Lance made his way to the front, turning on the star projection before seating himself on the floor. He spotted Earth right away, rotating in the same place it had always been in. He looked at it longingly, tugging on the red jacket.

“It’s been two years already.” His voice was just above a whisper as he spoke, looking up at Earth as it spun, relaxing him in the way it always does, “It’s been that long… but I still feel like it was just yesterday. Is that normal?”

Was it? Maybe he was an anomaly? He must be because no matter how much he wanted, he just couldn’t let go of what happened. It still felt like a dream when he thought about it. Speaking of dreams, after Lotor’s sudden appearance on Balmera, Lance had told Allura and Shiro about his encounter with Narti. He also told them about his dreams with Keith, well, the things he could remember.

Both Shiro and Allura were concerned at the time and told him that if he should experience another dream like that, he should let them know right away. As for the encounter with Narti, they told him that it was the nature of her power. Although the thought that Red had saved Lance was important because it meant that the lions had the ability to protect their paladins both mentally and physically. They learned that a bond between a lion and its paladin meant much more than they thought.

Lance couldn’t remember the last time he found himself in the black abyss. He tried to fall asleep so many times just to find Keith again in the endless black, but with no luck. He began to wonder why he was seeing Keith in the first place. It turned into a blessing but a curse at the same time as well. Pushing those thoughts away, Lance looked up at Earth, “I’m doing good mamá, you don’t need to worry.” But she didn’t and Lance knew it. Not when she probably thought that he was long gone, presumed to be dead by the Garrison.

“I’m nineteen already. Next year I’ll be twenty.” He finally reached the age of adulthood, “We don’t get to celebrate much but we still try to. Hunk always makes it his mission to bake us a cake.” Hunk the precious soul he was. Lance loved him for it.

“If he was here, he would be twenty.” Keith was a year older than him after all. Huh? Here he was, thinking about Keith again, but it was okay. Today is a special day.

“I confessed to him here.” Lance moved his hand to stroke the spot beside him where Keith had sat, looking at Lance with those curious yet teasing eyes. They were so beautiful. Lance was sure that he wouldn’t find anything like them anywhere else.

“I don’t cry as much as I used to.” Maybe it was because he didn’t have anymore tears to cry, “I think that I’m slowly beginning to move on. I’m not sure, not sure of anything anymore.” He leaned against the floor beneath him, looking up at the projected stars as he was laying down. 

He let himself relax, finding comfort in the red jacket around him. 

“Te extraño tanto.” Lance whispered as he closed his eyes. Those words were aimed towards his family but more so they were for Keith. He smiled softly to himself, “‘Te extraño tanto’, it means ‘I miss you so much’. Remember it mullet.” Those were his words for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when I'll update next but it'll probably be next month or maybe at the end of January. I'm aiming to finish the story by the end of the month but I may not publish it as I write it. We'll see how it goes.
> 
> Translations:  
> ¡Buenos días a todos! - Good morning everyone! (Spanish)  
> Mañana - morning (Spanish)  
> Sì - Yes (Italian)  
> Sei un idiota - You're an idiot (Italian)  
> Ou te lei tautala Samoa i se taimi umi - I didn't speak Samoan in a long time (Samoan)  
> これは、日本語のように聞こえる、プリンセス。- This is what Japanese sounds like, princess (Japanese)  
> Lo siento - I'm sorry (Spanish)  
> Grazie - Thank you (Italian)  
> No hay problema - No problem (Spanish)  
> Almeno aiutami a pulire! - At least help me clean! (Italian)  
> ¡Adiós! ¡Buena suerte! - Bye! Good luck! (Spanish)  
> Non ti darò nessun popcorn! - I won't give you any popcorn! (Italian)  
> Te extraño tanto - I miss you so much (Spanish)
> 
> Note: Everything that is written in different languages is done by Google Translate. Please feel free to correct me if anything is wrong. 
> 
> It would mean so much to me if you guys could leave a comment. I refresh the page like every five seconds to see if there is any feedback so it would be really appreciated. It would let me know that you guys are interested in the story so I'll know you want more.
> 
> Thank you for reading.  
> (Happy birthday bro! I know you'll never read this but I still wanted to update on your birthday. This way the date would have significance)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


	3. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years passed since Keith died and the team is trying to move on from their grief. Lance found new love in someone else and the rest of the team is on their way to recovery as well. However, just as they think they'd come to terms with the past, it comes back to haunt them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I'm so sorry for the late update. It took me about a year (almost) but I finally did it. I'm all over the place, no joke.
> 
> Note: Just like the previous chapter there are a lot of time skips here as well, so I hope you won't get confused. Also this story isn't beta'd so there might be spelling mistakes here and there.
> 
> I added new tags so please check them out before reading.

“Lance do you copy?”

“Loud and clear Shiro.” Lance relid back to their team leader while trying to find a suitable position where he would be able to see most of the ground underneath him. The concrete and even roofs of this village made it easier for him to jump from one house to the other, allowing him to move swiftly.

Once he’d found a good spot he knelt down on the edge to prepare his rifle. Looking through the scope, he could see their assigned target. Commander Trig was one of the more fiercome generals of the Galra Empire, feared throughout the galaxy as the Galra commander that liked to let his victims bled to death rather than shoot them on the spot. He preferred slow deaths, and if Lance could give him one in return, it would be the most satisfying outcome.

But what wasn’t what his mission was. Team Voltron had received information from the rebels that the Galra had intel which would be essential in their future endeavours. They needed to capture him alive.

“I’m in position.” Lance relied through the comms, letting his team know of his status while he kept his eyes locked onto the target.

“Good. Hunk will be making his move. Get ready.” And ready he was. Lance’s blue eye narrowed onto his target, gaze sharp yet even as he watched the Galra give out commands to a few of his sentries.

The alien planet they were on was under rebel control but in favour of capturing this Galra, they’d let him land his ships safely and without any resistance. Once they have him in their custody, they’ll clear the area of any sentries or Galra that may try to flee.

Sudden gunfire alerted Lance that the mission began. He could see Hunk shooting from where he hid, then Allura who was hiding on the other side of him.

Lance didn’t waste the time, aiming his rifle gun at the commander before he shot. He managed to hit his target where he wanted, the left shoulder. He won’t be able to end it quickly but as a sniper, Lance knew what to do if he didn’t want his targets to die.

It only took three more shots before the commander fell the ground, barking the last of his orders to the sentries around him. Instead of focusing on the Galra, Lance moved his attention onto the sentries, aiding both Allura and Hunk as they aimed to take as many of them as they could.

A sudden gust of wind made the red paladin look away from his scope, watching as the green lion and the black lion soared through the sky before ascending higher to shoot at the single Galra cruiser that was hovering above the village.

It didn’t take long for the rebels to join them on the ground, taking the responsibility of escorting their hostage to their ships which allowed Team Voltron to run back to their lions and join Shiro and Pidge as they shot at the large cruiser.

The cruiser was taking heavy damage but the appearance of sentries didn’t help their cause. The Galra had no way of winning though, not when they managed to form Voltron and slide through the cruiser as if it was butter. Coran helped them from above as well, firing the castle’s lasers to help them get rid of the sentires.

All was over. They accomplished their mission.

“Great job team! That’s another mission well done.” Shiro’s voice praised through the comms as he usually did after every battle. After years of hearing it, they’d all eventually gotten used to it.

“Allura that maneuver you pulled was great! You have to show me how you did it!” Lance noticed the smile on Pidge’s face through the image of his screen, Allura smiling in return.

“Thank you but I didn’t do it all by myself. It was a result of mine and Blue’s teamwork.”

“You two have really gotten close.” Hunk noted, “Now you’re just as great as Yellow and I. We’re so close that we could wrap ourselves in a burrito together.”

“Hunk, no more food references.” Lance chirped into the conversation, turning Red to see that the rebels managed to get their captive into one of their pods, flying away to the castle before another ship comes to pick them up.

A holoscreen of Matt popped into their cockpits, “Congrats everyone! I’d say this was a close call but it really wasn’t.”

“The tide of the battle is easily turned.” Shiro reminded them all, “Never underestimate your enemies, but yes, I’d say this was a mission well done.”

“I’m really glad we decided to evacuate the citizens out of the village. It made everything so much easier.” Hunk sighed in relief, “We might have risked their planet for this but hopefully they’ll forgive us.”

“They agreed to the plan. We wouldn’t have done it otherwise Hunk.” The green paladin reminded, “But now that everything is over, we can tell them to come back out of their hiding place.”

“I’ll take care of it. Meet you guys back at the castle.” The yellow lion moved, flying lower to the surface where Hunk knew the civilians of this planet hid.

“While Hunk takes care of the citizens we’ll help with the clean up.” Shiro sounded through the comms, “We’ll use our lions to help move the bigger debris out of the village.”

“Roger.” They all willed their lions to move, flying lower so that they could help the planet recover before they’d leave for their next mission. Lance flew Red in to help Allura pick some of the rocks, that’s before an image of Shiro appeared on one of his screens.

“Good job out there Lance. Without you, the Galra commander would have escaped no doubt.” There was a fond smile on Shiro’s face, and Lance was quick to take note of it. He returned it, returning his attention onto the debrid before him.

“What can I say? They don’t call me the sharpshooter for nothing.” There was a tint of teasing within Lance’s voice but one could feel that it wasn’t as strong as it used to be back in the day. Lance was more focused on his missions, unlike before where he preferred sleeping rather than train.

Shiro had been a witness to this drastic change and he didn’t want to lie if he said that he didn’t notice it. All of the team members did, and it was relieving but also a bit concerning at the same time.

Instead of going to his room after each mission, Lance decided to train instead. They didn’t notice it at first because as soon as they’d come back, Lance would go into his room as he usually did, but instead of staying there until dinner, he goes to the training room.

This increase in training wasn’t bad per se, but it was strange when other elements of change were counted into it. Lance began to eat a lot more than he usually did and he was always the first one to get out of bed now. He’d never been an early riser, always hated the idea of waking up early but now? He was a morning bird, or the closest they could all come to it in space.

But the most notable change in Lance was his skill in battle. His shots never missed, and when Shiro meant never, he literally meant never. It was scary how somebody could have this deadly accuracy. Lance had talent before but when he began practicing and truly started nurturing this ability did it develop into something this deadly.

Shiro would go as far to say that Lance was unreachable when it came to firing guns. They’d all improved in their own ways, polishing their skills ever since the day Keith passed away.

Hunk decided to become the diplomat of the team. Shiro wasn’t sure how this happened, but he had a feeling that Shay may have had something to do with that. Ever since Pidge helped Hunk develop a sustainable communication device for them, Hunk had been more eager on his missions, taking pictures of all of the places they travelled to. It was this that nurtured his love for other cultures, leading him to the path of diplomacy.

Pidge was Pidge but as the years passed, she became a bigger tech wizard than she already was. With her help, Voltron is now able to remain cloaked for an unlimited amount of time which came in handy during many of their missions. She even adjusted the castle and allow it to jump into hyperspace with greater speed than before. The crystals also minimized the strains placed on Allura when they did so, allowing them to wormhole much more than they used to back in the day. The other things… Shiro didn’t even know what they were used for. They were above his knowledge.

Allura honed her skills in diplomacy as well but unlike Hunk, she embraced her leadership capabilities in hopes that one day she would be able to find other Alteans within the universe. So far they didn’t succeed in their quest to find any, but that didn’t deter them from trying any less.

He… Shiro would like to think that he improved as a leader, but the truth may be that unlike the rest of his team, he found his duty in making sure that the rest of his teammates were following the right paths. He wasn’t one to say which path they should all follow, but he’d like to think that he was there should they need a shoulder to lean on. If he ever sees them struggling or hesitating, he would be there to listen.

He may be saying this, but he can’t say that the rest of the team isn’t looking out for him either. Allura had been a major help when it came to his depression, especially when Keith’s passing was still fresh. Now, however, he was doing better. As good as he could be in midst of a war.

Lance on the other hand became one of their best, notoriously known throughout most of the galaxy as Voltron’s shadow shooter. His enemies will never know where he’ll shoot from, the constant threat hovering above their heads without them even knowing about it.

Shiro was proud of Lance, he really was, but despite all of that he could still see the inevitable loneliness Lance felt within. It was hard to miss, but as the years went by, he thinks that it’s gotten a bit better. It’ll never really disappear, it can only get better.

 

* * *

 

Lance used his shield to evade a shot from one of the drones that were surrounding him, gaining on speed before they all managed to shoot at him at once. The red paladin grit his teeth, waiting for an opportunity when he could withdraw his shield and shoot.

He leaned against the wall so that his back was covered, preventing the drones from firing at his back. He only had one shield and by no means did it allow him to defend on all sides, so he remained glued to it as the drones fired.

The shots were quick, focused solely on him before they all paused in a moment, calculating what the best projection of their shots would be. It have Lance the opening he was searching for, lowering his shield and moving his bayard to shoot at them. Over the years he managed to get himself to shoot quicker with a higher efficiency to boot, allowing him to take down more of his targets quicker.

When the druids recovered from his attacks, they began firing again, unwilling to give him another chance of attacking. Lance held his ground, but what surprised him that the wall behind him suddenly began to move, startling him and forcing him to move away from it.

More guns emerged from within the wall and began shooting at him, “Quiznak.” He hissed, guarding himself with his shield as much as he could. The level he’d set is one of the highest the castle provided, and the program was holding onto it’s difficulty level no doubt.

He was completely surrounded by the druids now, unable to escape yet attack at the same time. They were all so extremely close that they didn’t give him the distance he needed for his shooting.

Short range fights were his weakness. Keith was the expert in short range fighting while Lance was a pro at long range combat. If only Keith were here he’d be able to take down these druids without a single weak.

_Keith… It’s already been four years since that fateful day on Dalbazz._

Lance closed his eyes, feeling his emotions surge throughout his body. The red bayard began to glow, aligning with the deep emotions he felt within. Then as Lance opened his eyes, he moved his hand without a second thought, already feeling what he had to do before he executed the move.

He managed to slice through about five of the druids before his bayard ceased it’s glow, revealing a red sword that was within his hold. His eyes widened as soon as he saw the new form of his bayard, looking the sword up and down in all it’s glory.

“Wow…” It as beautiful. Red in colour and just as long as Keith’s sword had been. The handle is different, and there is a blue like stone placed further down the handle. It was sleek in it’s look but Lance found it’s weight just right. It wasn’t too heavy or too light for his liking. It was perfect.

“That’s an Altean Broadsword.” He turned when he heard Allura’s voice, spotting the Altean princess enter the training grounds. Her gaze was on the sword, a tint of familiarity hidden within her orbs, “My father used to wield one just like this. It brings back memories.”

“Really? He did?” Lance’s gaze returned onto the weapon, raising it higher up in the air, “I don’t know what happened. I was cornered by those druids but then I remembered…” He bit his lip, “And then my gun changed into a sword.”

Allura placed her hand on his shoulder, a warm smile spreading across her face, “It’s come as no surprise Lance. We can all see that you’ve grown tremendously over the years. This is just a result of how much you’ve grown.”

His eyes moved onto the sword again, admiring the beautiful weapon for all it was. He couldn’t held the twinge of excitement that came with it, as well as the notion that he had now unlocked a third bayard form. He couldn’t be anymore happier that it was a sword. It meant so much to him.

“Thanks Allura. I’ll do your father justice using it.” He swung the sword in the air once again but this time, the sword fell out of his hands. It made Allura’s smile grow, and once he’d picked it up again, she leaned against his back to show him the right way how he should be wielding it.

“Unlike a gun, the sword requires you to move your hand a lot. Just like this.” In a second Lance found himself thrown down onto the ground, blinking while staring up at the princes, noting the smug look on her face, “We’ll need to work on your form as well techniques.”

And from that day onward, he began practicing with Allura on the art of the sword.

 

* * *

 

“Cosa stai facendo?”

“Getting some of the food goo.” Lance opened the fridge of their kitchen, or the thing that became their fridge since they began living on the castleship. He didn’t have much trouble finding what he was looking for, but instead of the food goo, another food item managed to catch his eyes instead so he took it out.

“Ice cream?” Pidge tilted her head to the side from where she was next to the table, intent on judging his eating options, “I didn’t see anyone eat ice cream for breakfast before.”

“That’s not healthy buddy. I can make you something else if you want.” Hunk offered, but Lance brushed him away with a wave of a hand.

“Thanks Hunk but I think the ice cream will do.” Lance sat himself down next to the yellow paladin, taking a spoonful of the food before raising it up to his lips. Over the years he’d tried playing with various flavour they could find all over space, and he thinks that he’d finally found the right consistency to resemble an ice cream, or better yet, the vanilla flavour of it.

“Sei strano.” Pidge huffed, earning a look from Lance.

“No tan raro como tu.” The red paladin ate another handful of ice cream, actually mindful not to get a brain freeze this time. He’d gotten a lot of those over the years. This time he learned his lesson.

“So what’s today’s word of the day bud?” Hunk bit into his own spoon, filled with the green goo, “Helado?”

Lance hummed in thought but he had a feeling that they’d already used that word before, “Already used it. You remember it, so that’s proof of that.” He smirked, pointing his spoon at Hunk, “You remembered it Hunk. I’m proud.”

“Of course. It’s hard to forget when you’re teaching us something new every day. I don’t know if I’d be able to speak it but-”

“Hazlo. Dime algo en espanol.” Lance challenged, leaning back against his seat.

“Mi nombre es Hunk. Piloto el león amarillo.” Hunk’s accent was impressive, but then again, it was something they practiced a lot.

“I’m proud of you Hunk. Just you wait and see, once I’m done with you, you’ll be able to speak Spanish just like a native.” Lance felt a sense of achievement pass over him, actually proud that he managed to teach Hunk a bit of Spanish.

Not only Hunk but the rest of the crew as well. His best student? That had to be Allura. During their sword training, the two of them are able to speak in Spanish. Sure Allura didn’t understand some words here and there, but with a little more work, they’d be able to speak Spanish with no problems.

It made Lance happy. Reminded him of home and his family.

He couldn’t ask for anything more. Well… apart from Keith being able to speak it as well. He wonders if he and Keith would have been able to talk Spanish between themselves right now. He bets they would.

“Thanks man.” The yellow paladin smiled, all the while Pidge eyed them critically.

“Talk all you want but I don’t see you teaching anyone how to write Lance.” Sure they’d be able to speak the language but they wouldn’t be able to read or write at all.

“I already showed Allura. She found the latin alphabet confusing at first so I’m taking my time teaching her. I’ll tackle everyone individually pigeon, that’s the strategy.”

“Oh.” Was all she said, deciding that returning her attention on her sandwich was a better idea.

“Besides, being a paladin is hard work. It’s hard to teach anyone anything when most of the time we’re focusing on freeing planets from Zarkon’s rule.” Even now they were on course to their next mission, to a planet that is known for its greenery, even more so than the Olkari. Allura told them they weren’t as technologically advanced, but it wasn’t like Lance minded. Just another planet and another mission, nothing new to it.

“Yeah.” Hunk sighed, “It’d be nice if we could go back to the Balmera again.”

“Don’t worry Hunk, when the war is over, you’ll be able to visit Shay anytime you want. Maybe she’d even agree to visit Earth?” Pidge.

“She said she’d like to. After the war I’m definitely taking her.” A small smile found it’s way onto Hunk’s lips, and Lance wasn’t blind to notice that expression. Hunk always looked so fond when he talked about Shay. When the wound was still fresh, it hurt, but now Lance liked seeing it.

He took another spoonful of his ice cream, letting the vanilla flavour melt within his mouth.

He wonders if Keith would have liked the ice-cream.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day went as Lance expected it to. They had breakfast, then went to the briefing on the bridge which ended up in all of them agreeing that they’d free the planet come tomorrow. In space, that meant 20 vargas, or a quintent. Whichever you prefer.

After the briefing, Lance went to the training room, intent on getting some warm up before Allura would arrive. He managed to use his gun, rifle and then a bit of his sword. He didn’t want to say that he became an expert, but he thinks he got the hang of the sword even if a little bit.

The sword was worlds apart from his guns. They were so different in fighting style that it took Lance months to even slash something in half. One was a long range weapon while the other was a close range one. You had to swing a sword while you just stand in place to shoot a gun.

Don’t take him wrong, both were formidable but the thing is that they were so different from one another. He’d definitely need more practice if he wants to use the sword in battle. As he was now, there was no way he’d be able to use it.

So he continues to practice, that is until Allura arrives, folding her arms to watch him from the sidelines. Lance used his word to take down an Altean sentry robot, evading it’s attacks as much as he could before it eventually made him trip. He fell down on his butt, the sentry holding down it’s staff to point it towards him.

“Ugh… Stop training sequence.” The red paladin muttered, and as he did the sentry slumped, standing in place.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Allura took steps towards him while Lance stood up, patting down his armour, “You’ve improved greatly in such a short amount of time Lance. You’re a fast learner.”

“Thanks Allura but it’s nowhere near where I should be. I-”

“It’s more than enough considering you didn’t wield a sword for that long. Practice takes time, and with it you’ll grow to be able to use it in battle.” She pat his shoulder, eyeing the weapon, “Patience yields focus.”

“Now you’re turning all Shiro on me.”

The princess chuckled, “But it’s true. If we rush things, then we might not achieve what we’ve set out to do, or even do what we’ve set out to do right. Patience is important, especially in face of war.”

War is a horrible, horrible thing. It changed their lives forever, they’ll never be the same. It tries to take from them anything it can, but for Lance, it already took the most important thing he had.

Blue eyes looked down at his sword, and for a moment, he thinks he can see Keith’s reflection within it before he blinks and it’s gone. Four years may have passed, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever recover from it.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Shiro. I think he’s beginning to rub on you.” Lance teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Shiro is a good companion to have around. He is a wise leader.”

Lance hesitated here but… “And you… ehem… you’re not… a thing?”

“A thing?” Allura tilts her head to the side.

“Yeah. You two seem pretty close.” Lance looks away for a bit, a bit embarrassed that he’s asking her about it but he can’t help it. The two of them had been dancing around each other for years now, and Lance wondered on many occasions if they were actually a pair.

“Oh.” Allura raised her brows when she finally understood, “No, Shiro and I are just friends.” Wait… “Did you think we were a couple Lance?” Her lips widened at that, erupting into an amused chuckle, “Shiro and I?”

“I-I don’t know. I thought about it.” He muttered, fidgeting with his hands while looking away, “He fell asleep with his head on your lap that one time, and then when I’d go to visit him, I’d hear the two of you talking in his bedroom. It was hard for me not to assume anything.”

Allura continued chuckling, finding it all too amusing not to, “I see this is a great misunderstanding.” She smiled, eyes meeting Lance’s own, “Shiro and I aren’t romantically involved. I worry about all my paladins so I try to help you all as best as I can. Shiro… is very depressed. It’s a side of himself that he hides from the rest of us. I couldn’t leave him after the instances I saw him all alone, dwelling within his thoughts.” She lowered her head, one hand touching her other elbow, “We’ve all had it rough.”

The light mood around them turned dark again and Lance found himself indulging in his own grieving thoughts. If only they’d done things differently on Dalbazz then nothing would have been the same. They would have been a complete team right now.

“But now isn’t the time to dwell on the past.” Allura nudged him to the side, willing her bayard to form as she took steps away from him, “I’d like to see how much you’ve improved since we began. I’ll go easy on you.”

“Hah! Bring it Allura. Don’t hold back.” He raised his sword up, soon finding himself in a training battle with the princess.

 

* * *

 

After the exhausting training with Allura, Lance made a beeline for the showers. He rinsed his tired body as best he could before venturing out towards his room. He was so tired. He didn’t feel this tired in a long time.

The sight of his door relieved him, pressing his palm against the scanner before the door would open to allow him entrance. Since he already washed himself, the only thing he had to do was change into his pyjamas, which he did.

He let himself fall against the soft mattress of his bed, sighing in relief upon contact. Lance wasn’t much into decorating but after everything that happened, and all those years that passed by, he allowed himself to decorate a bit.

He didn’t want to decorate his home before in hopes that his stay would only be temporary. Why decorate when he was going to go back home soon? He’d been naive back then but that changed now.

Looking up at the ceiling, he appreciated the dim glow of the neon stars he’d found in the Earth shop of the space mall. That shop in general was his favourite, and he loved going to it whenever they passed by that part of space.

Apart from the stars, the side wall of his bed had photos plastered all over it. Most of them were of the team since he didn’t have any pictures of his family. He tilted his head to the side, smiling when he saw Pidge’s happy face on one of the pictures, standing next to Green proudly. She’d managed to take down a nasty alien that day, one that betrayed his own people by working for the Galra. It was a big achievement, freeing the entire planet from long years of occupation.

Then he turned to see himself, Hunk and Shay back on Balmera. Yeah… Hunk adores the Balmera.

A picture with Shiro and Allura was next, posing for the photo happily within the castle. The mice were on Allura’s hair, hanging from a few of her strands.

Then there were older pictures placed closer to where his head was and as he looked over them, his smile fell. Keith was in these pictures, a part of their team just as he had been back when he was alive.

There was one where they were all posing together, back when Allura was still piloting the castle rather than Blue. Then there was an image of Keith with Pidge where he was leaning behind her shoulder, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. Lance always loved how dense Keith was with these things, but it wasn’t like he could complain. He had no idea what Pidge and Hunk were talking about most of the time.

Then there were pictures Lance took after he’d confessed. In those ones, they were both closer, more intimate. One was of Keith placing a kiss on his cheek while Lance was taking the picture. Then there was one that Lance took of Keith on the bridge. It was supposed to be a secret shot, but somehow Keith managed to sense it, turning around just in time so that he was facing the camera when Lance took it.

He had his hands folded in front of his chest, smiling while looking at the camera fondly. Lance tilted his head to the side, not feeling up to looking at the pictures anymore.

They were both just beginning to date. There were so many things they could have done together. Maybe… if he would have confessed sooner, then he’d have more time with Keith. He’d been such a coward back in the Garrison, and even in space he was a dumb idiot.

He shouldn’t have waited two years before confessing to Keith. If he would have known, he would have confessed back at the Garrison. Maybe then he would have helped Keith through his grief when Shiro disappeared on the Kerberos mission.

He was a dumb idiot back then, wasting his time running around Keith instead of doing something. He’ll never forgive himself for this. He was going to regret it for the rest of his life.

He felt tears at the corner of his eyes, building up until they began to fall down his cheeks. Here they come… the tears. Sometimes they’d come randomly but if he was honest, Lance didn’t have any more tears to cry.

Soon enough, even these tears would dry and vanish. There would be nothing left as evidence that they were there, just like there is no evidence out in space that Keith ever existed. The only things he had of Keith were his red jacket, fingerless gloves and the red bayard.

Then again, when they hand over their positions as the paladins to the new generation, Lance will lose the red bayard to them.

 

* * *

 

The next day they managed to free the planet of Okia, that jungle like planet Allura described the day before. It was a difficult process but once they destroyed the three Galra cruisers that were orbiting the planet, all they had to do was free the people of any Galra that remained on the ground.

They’d been clever to cut outside communications for the Galra, which meant that they couldn’t call for backup. The credit for that goes to Pidge and her invention of the small jamming device.

With the cruisers destroyed, Lance aimed to land Red onto the planet, coming out of the cockpit to look outside at the green scenery around him. Wow… It really was a jungle. Thankfully the inhabitants were living in a large village, which meant that there was a clearing around that area.

They managed to land their lions there before destroying the power source of the sentries, rendering them all useless. The planet was officially freed, and soon they all found themselves surrounded by thankful aliens all around.

They were small in size, reminding Lance of the Arusians back on planet Arus. It was the first alien race they saw after leaving Earth, which made Lance particularly fond of the little guys.

An alien, what looked like to be some soft of a leader figure, approached him, then began speaking in a language Lance couldn’t understand, ‘S-Sorry but I don’t understand anything you’re trying to say.” He tried to apologise but the alien didn’t seem to get it so he continued talking.

“It’s okay Lance, I’ll take it from here.” Hunk, thank goodness, came to his aid. The yellow paladin proceeded to converse with the alien through a device he and Pidge ad invented, translating the alien’s mumbled into something they could understand.

“Thank you.” Hunk said after the alien ceased his talk, allowing Hunk to finally reply, “We wouldn’t have managed to fight off the Galra if it wasn’t for your cooperation.” Lance let Hunk handle the rest, walking away to tend to any of the wounded. He wasn’t a healer, but maybe there was someone out there who was in need of help.

Walking along the village, Lance spotted some of the houses that were destroyed, going in to examine any where he heard sounds coming from within them. Blue was flying high above them, trying to move away any trees or vines that landed on the trees.

After managing to get one of the aliens out of a house, Lance moved onto another, watching as Blue picked up a large tree before throwing it to the side and out of the way, “Thanks Allura!” He waved, receiving a nod from Blue before the lion took off again.

He made his way inside the house, searching for anyone that may be injured. As he made it further into the house, he heard someone give a faint cry further into the house, “Is somebody here!? I’m a paladin of Voltron! I’m here to help!” Lance called, soon receiving a reply.

“O-Over here.”

He made his way over and around the corner to spot a girl sitting down on the ground. She took Lance aback because she certainly wasn’t one of the native aliens that lives on this planet. If anything she looked like a human with purple skin and blonde hair. Her eyes were a crimson colour, staring right at Lance in need of help.

“P-Please help me. I think I broke my leg.”

Lance approached her, kneeling down by her side to examine the wound. It really looked like her leg was broken, “Who are you? You’re not from this planet, are you?”

“No.” She shook her head, “I came to visit this planet to study it. I thought the planet was free of Galra occupation so when I came, they shot my spaceship. I crash landed here, trying to survive since.”

“Well, you’re in luck. I’ll get you out of here pronto.” Lance gently moved his arms around her, picking her up from where she was. She flinched in pain, but once he straightened out, the pain seemed to cease, “The name’s Lance by the way. I’m the paladin of the red lion.”

“Valeria. Nice to meet you.” She smiled, letting Lance carry her back to the rest of the paladins.

 

* * *

 

Unexpectedly Valeria joined them as they left the now free planet, leaving the system to go to their next destination. She asked if she could stay with them until she knew where she was going to go next, and seeing as she was harmless, they all agreed to have her join them.

Actually, Valeria turned out to be pretty nice. She understood all of their jokes, which was strange for an alien girl. It took even Allura a bit of time before she could understand human humour, so it was a surprise.

They’d given Valeria a room to sleep in, and the day after, they’d got an extra crew member when they went for breakfast. Since her room was close to Lance’s, and he’d found her wandering the corridors all confused, he agreed to show her around after breakfast.

“Oh! There you two are! We were beginning to wonder if anything happened to you.” Pidge greeted as soon as Lance and Valeria entered the kitchen, seating themselves on free seats.

“Valeria was lost so I helped her find her way.” Lance shot back at the girl, managing to defend himself before looking down at his food. A slide of what resembled human pizza? Yes please!

“That’s a relief. Maybe we should have someone show you around so that you don’t get lost next time Valeria.” Allura suggested.

“I got it covered. I already promised I’d show her around.” The red paladin chirped in, earning a surprised look from Allura.

“Oh. Alright.”

“Be careful. Lance can bite.” Pidge teased the poor girl, earning a scold from the red paladin.

“The only one I’ll bit is you pigeon!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Valeria smiled, the mood light as they all began to chit chat amongst each other. For the first time in a long time, Lance allowed himself to get carried away and talk, a smile on his face as he talked.

He didn’t know why but it felt nice talking to Valeria whose remarks provoked further responses out of him. At times they even found themselves bickering amongst each other about the silliest of things.

For a moment, Lance felt the weight of war lift itself up from his chest. It made him forget that he was in space at all, just like the times when he and Keith would play video games, or the times they would bicker for no reason at all. It was this that made him grow closer to Valeria, finding something within her he’d missed for years.

 

* * *

 

Lance didn’t know how long it had been since Valeria joined them, but he knew that it must have been for a while because it became a norm to have her within the castle. He’d ended up spending a considerable time with her, any time he wouldn’t be training with Allura or chatting with Pidge and Hunk during lunch.

And as time passed by, he began to develop feelings for her. Valeria was beautiful, she was smart and considerate as well. She’d even brought him breakfast in bed when he didn’t feel like going, which by itself surprised Lance greatly.

She’d be there waiting for him whenever he would go out on missions, and he liked that feeling of having someone waiting for you after battle.

“Lance! You’re back!” Valeria ran up to him happily and without shame swung her arms around him, embracing him tightly. One thing Valeria didn’t have was shame, she didn’t care about what anyone else thought of her, and Lance had to admit that he liked that part of her as well.

“You think that little fleet had a chance against me? _Pfft!_ They’d have to think twice before trying to catch Red and I.”

“You never know what can happen in the heat of battle. I was worried.” And hearing that, Lance couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.

 

* * *

 

Time passed, and as it did, eventually Lance and Valeria began to date. After that it didn’t take long for Lance to kiss her, doing it on the upper deck in his little corner, sharing the spot with her so that they could look out at the stars together.

After their first shared kiss, they found themselves kissing more, until eventually they wee in Lance’s bedroom with Valeria pinned down underneath him, her crimson eyes staring up at him lustfully, “Please Lance… I want you.”

He didn’t think much about it as he leaned in to capture her lips into a kiss, then continued touching further until he took off her upper clothing, revealing her body underneath. He felt hot all over, flustered while experiencing the feeling of touching someone in a way he was now.

The feeling of her breasts under his hands encouraged him to continue, allowing for Valeria to take off his shirt before capturing his lips in another passionate kiss. They let their feelings take ahold of them, and soon they were taking off each other’s lower clothing.

It was in this moment that Lance had lost his virginity.

 

* * *

 

The next time Lance opens his eyes, he finds himself in a black abyss, surrounded by nothing but blackness. He remembers being here, or at least thinks he’s been here before. He wasn’t sure but he has this feeling that he must have been here before.

He felt his fingers move, then his legs as he takes a step forward into nothingness. He doesn’t know how long he’s been engulfed in black until a speck of red light appears on the edge of his eyesight, turning to spot a re lion standing and staring at him from a distance.

“Red?” Lance calls out, finding himself walking to the lion as it was the only light source around. As he approached, the lion turned around, walking on the opposite direction of him, “Red! Wait up!”

He follows the lion but out of nowhere he’s suddenly falling down into nothingness, feeling the wind blow against him as he continued to fall. It was as if he was on the edge of a cliff, and he fell down without even knowing it was there in the first place.

Eventually he managed to hit the ground, surprised that he didn’t feel too much pain from it, “Huh?” He pushed himself up from the ground on all fours, surprised when he spotted light shining on the ground, finally allowing him to see his hands before him.

Lance turned around, his breath knocked out of him as his eyes landed on a beautiful sleeping figure captured within a large red crystal, standing tall and sticking out of the ground.

“K-Keith?” Lance shook upon the sight of his former lover, peacefully sleeping within the crystal and wearing his armour. Keith was the same as he remembered him before the Dalbazz tragedy. No, wait… Keith looked just like he did on Dalbazz, protected by the passage of time by the crystal he was engulfed within.

Lance couldn’t control his shake, nor could he stop the tears that suddenly began falling down his face, “K-Keith.” He couldn’t say anything else as he forced himself up, throwing his arms around the massive crimson crystal, trying to push t as close to himself as he could.

He let out loud sobs, unable to even his breathing even if he tried, “You look just like you did back then. Y-You didn’t change Keith. You’re even more beautiful than I remember you.” But while Lance broke down, the sleeping figure remained asleep, eyes closed and body unmoving within the crystal.

If this was all a dream, then Lance didn’t know if it was a nightmare or not. His heart was being ripped apart right here he stood, unable to move himself from the glowing crystal. It was ironic that the crystal Keith was within was the only thing that was shining brightly within this darkness he found himself in.

Keith had always been his light, even now that he was in this strange abyss.

Lance continued to cry until he heard a lion’s roar, making him flinch and turn to its source, only to spot Red standing by the side, growling and showing his massive canines.

“Red? W-What’s wrong?” Lance managed to say but Red continued to growl. The sounds were so ferocious that they weakened Lance’s hold on the stone, making him turn to the side to face the lion, “Red?”

The red lion growled lowly, her eyes moving onto Keith before returning back to Lance. The brunette noticed it, adding to the growing feeling of confusion within him, “Red, what-”

He couldn’t say anything else when Red suddenly jumped on him, making him fall down onto the ground before he found her hovering up above him. Lance’s eyes were wide, body shaking as he stared into Red’s intense crimson eyes.

All he saw was Red moving to bite him before he woke up from the dream, immediately standing up and panting while in his bed. He covered his face with a hand, trying to calm himself as best he could.

He felt another body move beside him, arms gently embracing him from behind, “Lance? What happened? Are you okay?” Valeria’s arms served as an anchor Lance needed to bring himself back down, slowly allowing for his breathing to even, sweat lingering his forehead and back.

“I-I…” He breathed out, trying to remember what happened that made him wake up. Huh? What happened? He doesn’t remember anything, “I-I don’t know Valeria. I just-I…”

“Shhh… It’s okay.” She kissed his forehead gently, squeezing her arms around him, “I think you had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?” Yeah… That must be it.

“Lay down. I’ll make you feel better.” Valeria whispered behind him, gently nudging him back down onto the bed. He complied, feeling her warm touch calm his shaking body. Her mouth against his helped to anchor him further, allowing him to calm down and spend the rest of the night embracing his girlfriend.

 

* * *

 

Lance and the rest of the paladins found themselves travelling to a temporary base the Rebels built for themselves. He mentioned temporary because should the Galra discover it, the base will be abandoned and any documents within it would be destroyed as well.

After meeting Matt and his crew, the team set out to travel to a new planet that was occupied by the Galra, intending to free it from Zarkon’s hands.

Before that, however, Lance found himself back in bed with Valeria, stroking her soft blond hair while letting his mind drift to other things. The alien girl hummed contently, turning to face him so that she could capture his lips into a kiss. Lance accepted it, relishing the feeling it brought him before parting.

“What’re you thinking about?” She asked, nuzzling closer into his chest.

“Things.”

“What things?” She tried her luck, rubbing circles on Lance’s back.

“Nothing important Valeria.” The paladin sighed, letting himself relax against her body, closing his eyes.

Valeria hummed in response, her eyes going over to Lance’s hair tie bracelet. She’d seen her lover wear it many times before but every time she’d ask, Lance would say it was just a decoration. The answer didn’t satisfy her though, so she decided to probe again, “Will you finally tell what all those hair ties are for?”

She heard Lance sigh again, “Just decoration.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it then.”

“Lance.” Valeria moved away a tad bit so that she could meet his eyes, “It’s not even a bracelet. Those are hair ties. Your hair is too short for them so I know you’re not using them on yourself. Will you tell me what they’re for? Please?”

This time Lance didn’t say anything in return, hesitant to reveal the true reason why he was wearing them. However, this time he finally gave in to Valeria, “I used them for Keith’s hair. He had a mullet so I decided to wear them whenever his hair bothered him.”

“Keith?”

“Yeah.” The name brought back many memories, “He was my lover and the former paladin of the red lion before he passed away in battle.”

There was silence between them, heavy at first, but then Valeria moved her hand to touch his cheek, caressing it gently, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It was Lotor who took him away from me.”

“And I’m sorry for your loss. I-I didn’t know you had a lover before.”

“I just…” Lance bit his lip, feeling himself crumble with the topic at hand, “It’s hard to talk about it.”

Valeria squeezed her arms around him, offering the comfort he needed. He let his body move closer to the warmness beside him, moving his arms so that he could push Valeria closer to himself.

The alien girl moved in to kiss his lips, and he returned it with equal passion. When they parted, she moved to hover above him, spraying her hands across his chest, “Let me make you feel better.”

“Hmmm…” Lance indulged her as she spread her legs, bouncing on top of him and sending waves of pleasure throughout his tired body.

 

* * *

 

Lance expected that Valeria would stay with them forever, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Once day when they landed on a peaceful merchant planet, Valeria had found herself a spaceship she could use to continue exploring planets as she had done before meeting Voltron.

Lance was glad that she’d be able to do what she loved but it meant that she’d have to leave him, and it wasn’t something he liked to imagine. He was hesitant when Hunk flew her new spaceship into the castle so that it could wait there before she had enough time to say her goodbyes.

Valeria stayed for a bit more with them before she decided it was time to leave. Before she would, however, Pidge gave the both of them a communication device which would allow them to talk just like Hunk and Shay.

The weight of the device within his hand was assuring, and the notion that he’d be able to talk to someone he cared about just like Hunk gave him comfort. He wouldn’t be lonely anymore, or at least that’s what he tried to tell himself.

“I’m so sorry Lance but I want to continue in my research. There are so many beautiful planets out there that I… I can’t resist.” She felt the paladin squeeze her hand with a smile on his face.

“I know, I’ve known you long enough to know how much you love to learn about the unknown.” Voltron was travelling the universe, but while they visited many planets, they were mostly planets that were occupied by Galra. They always found themselves in war and as soon as they’d stabilise the planet and free it of Galra control, they left it.

Valeria on the other hand always wanted to stay and explore it further. It was something she loved to do but with Voltron, she wouldn’t be able to do it. He knew that eventually she’d leave, but he thought it’s be later than sooner.

“We’ll be in touch. Tell Pidge I’m thankful for these.” She gave him one last hug and a kiss to the lips before turning to her new spaceship.

“I will.” Lance watched her go with conflicting thoughts, trying to smile back when she smiled at him. Eventually the spaceship lit up, and then got off the ground before turning to exit the castle’s hangar. Lance watched her go, finding himself in silence once the ship was out of his sight.

He leaned his hand against the window before turning to leave. He held the communication device tightly in his hand, intending to use it before going to sleep if Valeria was free to talk.

 

* * *

 

Lance didn’t allow negative thoughts to consume him so instead of sulking around, he decided to head to the training room with another practice session with Allura. He’d gotten much better with the sword by now, managing to swing it and overpower the enemy sentry he was facing.

The robot was taking steps back as he advanced, eventually leading to Lance cutting his head off, falling down onto the ground.

“I don’t know if I approve of that.” Allura’s voice came while Lance panted for air, brushing away the sweat from his forehead.

“I may have lost control.”

“That you certainly did.” The princess nodded, “Maybe it’d be better if you took a break. Training with a clouded mind isn’t a good way to train.”

“It’s nothing Allura, really. I’m fine.”

“I beg to differ. I think you’d spend your time wiser if you went and got ready for dinner. Shiro made food this time.”

“Food goo?”

“He tried to be creative.” She put her hand on his arm, “Trust me on this Lance. As your mentor, I think it’s best you go get some rest.”

The brunette was hesitant, but he had a feeling that if he tried to fight back that Allura would bite back with even more force. He decided to give in this one time, “Fine.”

“Good. Let’s go to the dining room then.”

 

* * *

 

“It sucks that Valeria left. I’ll admit that she grew on me.” Pidge mumbled with food in her mouth, earning a scold from space dad.

“Don’t eat with your mouth full Pidge. Swallow and then say what you have to say.”

The green paladin grumbled but complied anyway.

“I miss her already but I’m sure that she’ll come to visit. Don’t worry buddy.” Hunk pat Lance’s back, trying to give him any kind of assurance that she’d be okay.

“I hope so.” Lance took ahold of his spoon, taking a piece of what looked like to be space spaghetti before bringing it up to his lips. It was pretty good. Not bad for space good flavoured spaghetti.

“Instead of talking about Lance being heartbroken, maybe we should talk about tomorrow’s meeting. Matt is coming to meet us on the castle ship. From what he says, the rebels have a new sighting of Lotor.” Pidge’s eyes turned to the red paladin, noting the slight stiff.

The air around them tensed, but luckily Shiro dissolved it before it could escalate to anything else, “The Blades will be meeting us as well. We’ll join forced to track Lotor, but not before everyone gets some rest. We’ve freed two planets not long ago, we’ll need the rest.”

Lance didn’t hear much of what Shiro said next. The thought that he’d get his hands on Lotor was all it needed for him to zoom out of the conversation.

 

* * *

 

“Quantum Abyss? That’s where Lotor is headed?” Lance was the one to ask, facing both his team members along with some of the rebel higher ups and the Blades. Lance ignored Kolivan, his relationship with the man all but good after what happened in Dalbazz. He’ll never forgive Kolivan and his men for not showing up when they needed their help. Even now that it’s been four years ever since Keith left them, the anger from that day was still fresh within him.

“One of ours managed to spot Lotor’s flagship cruiser on route to the said planet. We don’t know if he already made his way through but from the information we have, it’s likely that Lotor may go in himself or send somebody in his place.” Matt informed everyone present, pulling out a holoscreen to show everyone an image of the Quantum Abyss, “The Quantum Abyss is very dangerous and unstable. Time flows differently there than it does in the rest of the universe. Two days could easily equal two years within the Abyss.”

“That’s spectacular.” Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose, marvelled by the said planet, “I’ve never seen or heard of a planet that is able to defy the universal rules of time.”

“It’s a first for me too sis.” Matt pulled up another graph, showing what seemed to be a path they could use to get to the planet, “Normally it would take us years to follow Lotor but we’ve found an alternative route through which we could enter. We have little room for error, which means that we’ll have to follow this path without straying from it even the slightest bit. There are large four legged creatures which live outside of the planet’s system, which means that we _really_ have to stay on this route if we want to evade them.”

“That sounds like a dangerous mission to me.” The whole issue with time alone made Hunk worry, fidgeting in his seat.

“Over the years since the Dalbazz incident, Lotor has shown to have keen interest in crystals containing quintessence.” Kolivan’s words caught everyone’s attention, his voice firm as the leader of the Blades, “Perhaps Quantum Abyss is also somehow linked to this.”

“It may be, we’ll have to following him there if we wish to find out.” Allura turned to her fellow Altean, “Coran put in the coordinates for Quantum Abyss. We’re following Lotor.”

“Right on it princess!”

“First we’ll need a plan. We can’t proceed further without one.” Kolivan’s eyes were on her, trusting that she’d already come up with a plan already.

“We don’t know if Lotor is there or what his reason for going to the Quantum Abyss is. First we’ll need to wormhole as close to the Abyss as we can, then we’ll decide on our next course of action. If Lotor really did venture inside we’ll have to follow him.”

“The rebels will be with you every step of the way.” Matt assured Team Voltron of that. The rebels had always been by their side and that won’t change even now.

“Thank you Matt.”

“We could use the help if Lotor brought reinforcements along.” Pidge smiled over at the rebel representative, earning one in return.

“What about the Blades?” Lance turned to Kolivan, arms folded in front of his chest, “Will you come with us? Or will you decide to attend something more important?” The saltiness in his voice could be felt by everyone around him, finding himself face to face with the leader of the Blades.

The alien looked down at him with those analytical eyes of his like he always did, choosing his words wisely, and he _better_ choose them wisely.

“We’ll be joining you on this mission. It’s important that we finally uncover why Lotor is gathering such large quantities quintessence.”

“The quintessence he’s gathering is concentrated… but what would he use it for?” It was frustrating that Lotor was still at large, but even more so when they didn’t know what he was using it for. Pidge didn’t like it at all.

Shiro nodded from where he stood, feeling that everyone was set and ready for the journey, “If we all agree then it’s time to go. The sooner we leave, the bigger chances we’ll have of catching up to Lotor.”

The four year long chase for Lotor continues.

 

* * *

 

Allura managed to wormhole the castleship close to the coordinates they’d obtained from Matt, finding themselves in a galaxy they didn’t visit before. There were a lot of planets around but they were smaller in size, accompanied by rocks that floated around their gravitational fields.

Lance and the rest looked out from the bridge, zooming in on what was suppose to be the Quantum Abyss. Much to their luck, their sensors zoomed in on Lotor’s flagship right away, showing as it floated in space.

“He’s there! He didn’t enter the Quantum Abyss!” Hunk pointed at the screen while the rest of the group looked at the ship in uncertainty. They didn’t know what was here that Lotor would want, but it seemed that he wasn’t privy to entering it and spending two ears inside.

“What do we do Allura?” Lance’s blue eyes turned onto the princess, her gaze calculating and aimed at the Galra ship.

“We infiltrate the ship. It’s our best shot of finding out what his plans are.”

“We’ll use the green lion’s cloaking device to sneak onboard the ship. Suit up everyone, we’re heading out.” Shiro gave his command and everyone went to carry them out.

Once they were all done, the paladins gathered in the green lion’s hangar, accompanied by Kolivan and two of his Blades, as well as Matt and three of his rebels.

They were ready to go in.

 

* * *

 

Green flew towards Lotor’s flagship, landing on the side quietly before her passengers could disembark. Kolivan managed to make a small hole within the metal so that they could get inside, sealing it right after they got inside.

“Alright team, everyone knows what to do. We’ll separate here but everyone should be back in a varga, understood?”

“Understood.” The Blades went along their own way, as did Matt and his rebels. This left Team Voltron on their own, manoeuvring through the spaceship to get to some kind of a control room where Pidge would be able to hack into the systems.

They ran into a few sentries on their way, but they managed to take them down without much difficulties. It didn’t take them long to find a room that had computers and screens within it, and as soon as they were inside, Pidge got to work, downloading as much of the data as she could.

“Did you find anything Pidge?” Hunk asked from where he was on the lookout with Lance, looking out to see if any Galra or sentry would pass by.

“I’m just downloading the data. If I open anything now it might slow the download.”

“Then continue with the download Pidge. We don’t have that much time to hang around Lotor’s ship.” Shiro looked over the security cameras worriedly while the green paladin nodded.

Minutes ticked by, and luckily they didn’t have anyone trying to get in during the time of the download. It almost seemed to easy for their liking when Pidge took out her wire from the computer, announcing that the download was done, ‘Finished. Let’s head back to the meeting point.”

“Good idea.” Lance and the rest agreed, looking around before venturing out of the room they were in. They ran, encountering a few sentries before an alarm sounded, making them all jump up.

“They know we’re here!” Allura.

“The Blades or the rebels must have triggered it. I’m pretty sure nobody saw us.” Hunk.

“Oh god… What if it was Matt?” Pidge bit her lip worriedly.

“We don’t have the time to think about it. Quick! We’re running back to the meeting point.” Shiro urged them all to go on, not stopping when they encountered sentries. Hunk and Lance took care of them right when they turned the corners, aiming their guns at the robots as quickly as they saw them.

They ran through the corridors and eventually they managed to make it back to their meeting point. Matt and the rest of his group were already waiting for them, relief washing over Pidge as soon as she saw them, “Matt!”

“Katie! Did they see you?” Matt embraced his sister as soon as she was within his arms, glad that she was unharmed.

“It wasn’t us.”

“It wasn’t us either.”

“Then it must be Kolivan and his men.” Allura and the rest turned when they heard rapid footsteps approach them, Kolivan and his men emerging from around the corner, followed by gunshots.

“Quick! We have to flee!” They didn’t need to be told twice, shooting at the weakened metal they came from. They donned their helmets before the lack of air suffocated them, then flying out into space.

The paladins, rebels and the Blades manage to enter Green before the lion lit up and jumping off the ship. Cannons began to move, firing at them while Pidge tried to evade them, “Quiznak! They’re onto us!”

“Careful Pidge. We don’t have the rest of our lions to help.” Lance.

“As if I don’t know that!” The youngest paladin scoffed, moving her lion to evade another shot. However, what surprised them all was when something close to the Quantum Abyss exploded, sending a shockwave throughout the area.

“What’s that!?”

“Is it Lotor!?”

Lance closed his eyes when light engulfed them, swallowing them whole. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself within a white space. He panted, jumping in place when he heard his own voice speak to the side, “Hunk! Look! Here comes Keith.” His eyes landed on his younger self back in the garrison classroom.

He… He remembered this… It was a class he took while he was back in the Garrison but why was he seeing this?

“Maybe it’s time you finally confessed Lance. I think today might be the day.” Hunk nudged him to the side but his younger self only blushed at that.

“I told you I’d do it tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow.”

“But I know you won’t do it tomorrow.”

“Nope. I definitely will.”

If only he stayed true to his word, then maybe he and Keith would have been a thing back then. Lance clenched his hands, closing his eyes in regret before his own voice alerted him to another change.

This time he was startled by the panic he heard, opening his eyes to find himself kneeling in front of Keith who was seated on his bed. Wait… They were back at the castle, in Lance’s room.

“K-Keith.. I-I’m so sorry… this is all my fault. I-I should have…” He watched as he cried, all the while Keith remained unmoving on his bed, eyes lifeless as he sat. He doesn’t remember this happening. W-What was this?

Lance took a step forward but stopped when the other him began to sob harder, moving to embrace Keith tightly, “It’s all my fault.”

“No… wait…” Lance reached out to them but just as he did the vision vanished with a blink of an eye, finding himself back in the green lion, along with everyone else that was there.

“W-What was that?” Hunk was breathless as he spoke, as shocked as Lance currently was.

“You saw it too?” Allura asked confusingly, “What did you see?”

“I saw a memory of myself back on Earth and then… I saw Keith.” Shiro mumbled, eyes wide and clearly shaken.

“I-I saw Keith too.” Lance felt himself sway in place, “What was that?”

“There’s no time to explain.” Kolivan’s voice cut through the air, “We need to retreat. After that, I can tell you what you’ve just seen.”

“Wait, you know?” Something within Lance snapped, “Tell me what it is! I need to kno-Ugh!” Green was suddenly hit by a black, reminding them that they were in the middle of escaping Lotor’s flagship.

“We’re getting out of here!” Pidge managed to move Green out of the danger, flying to where Coran and the castleship were waiting for them before they jumped into hyperspace.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Green’s paws made contact with ground, Lance mustered all of the force he had to pin Kolivan to the wall, holding onto his clothing with a tight grip, “What was that! You said you know so tell me what it is!”

“Lance! Calm down!” Shiro and the rest of the team pried their red paladin off the Blades leader, pulling the two of them apart while the other Blades surrounded Kolivan, intending to protect him from the raging Lance.

“That was a quantum wave of the Abyss. I've told you that time flows differently within that area, and because of that there are shocks that resonate throughout the area ever so often. What you saw was a memory, as well as a glance into your futures.”

The past and the future? Lance saw himself back at the Garrison, and he does remember the moment he saw. However, what he doesn’t remember was him and Keith sitting in his room like that, crying all over.

Keith was lifeless in his vision. If it was the future then… “Does that mean Keith is still alive?”

“I can’t say.” Kolivan shook his head, “I don’t know what you’ve seen but if it was the former red paladin, it may not mean that he’s necessarily alive. It may simply be a droid that was built to look like him or-”

“Shut up!” Lance hissed, storming his way out of the green lion.

“Lance? Where are you going?” The rest of his team along with Matt followed worriedly, catching up to him. When he reached him, Shiro grabbed his hand, pulling him back.

“Lance! Where are you going?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going back to Dalbazz. Keith is still alive, I know it.” He tugged his hand out of Shiro’s hold, storming towards Red’s hangar. His heart was beating rapidly within his ribcage, blood flowing rapidly throughout his entire body.

“Lance! Wait!” This time it was Allura who managed to stop him, moving herself in front of him to block his path, “It’ll take you decapheebes to reach Dalbazz from our current location. We’ll wormhole to it instead.”

And that managed to calm Lance somewhat, “Let’s do it quick then.”

“Of course.” She nodded, and soon they all found themselves going to the bridge. They were all in such a rush that they didn’t even consider that the Blades and Matt were still on the castlesip, uncaring as they moved the castle, intending to go back to Dalbazz.

 

* * *

 

When they left the wormhole, they were greeted with the sight of a green planet. This was Dalbazz as they remembered it when they first came here but… it wasn’t the same. The large crater that was left by the blast of the cannon was still there, indented into the ground as grass grew over it.

Grass. That was another thing that changed. When they left Dalbazz, all of its grass was destroyed, leaving the planet bare in rocks. That wasn’t the case anymore though as the planet was covered in green, crimson stones sticking out of the ground that they could see from space.

“There’s grass.” Hunk noted with wide eyes, staring at the planet in wonder.

Memories of the tragedy surfaced, the moment the blast hit the planet as fresh as it had ever been. Lance tried to come to terms with it all, he really did, but once he laid his eyes on Dalbazz, all of his sorrows came back to him in full force.

“I detected activity on Dalbazz’s surface!” Pidge let them know, pulling up an image on screen. Lance’s found himself out of breath when he saw aliens roaming the fields, small houses that weren’t there now standing tall and surrounded by grass.

“T-Those are the inhabitants I helped evacuate.” Shiro managed to say, causing another wave of shock to run throughout Lance.

“Are you sure?” Hunk.

“Positive. T-They survived. How?” Lance didn’t want to stay here and listen, turning on his heels to head into his lion’s hangar. If these are the civilians Shiro saved, then it must mean that they somehow managed to survive. If they survived then that means that Keith…

Keith could be alive.

“Wait up Lance! We’re coming with you!” The rest of the paladins didn’t try to stop him but instead headed to their own lions. Red was the first one to fly out of her hangar, flying towards Dalbazz with great speed.

Lance surveyed the area on his scans, searching for where he could land. A pop up of Pidge appeared, solving that problem for him, “Looks like there’s a village to our left. We should head there.” So Lance moved Red to the left, flying until he spotted the said village.

Red landed first, lowering her jaw to allow Lance to disembark. The rest of the lions followed suit, landing and then opening their jaws to allow their paladins to exit.

As soon as Lance touched the ground, he was greeted with a sight of confused aliens all around him. He didn’t care that they were all looking at him, moving so that he was closer, “Keith! Do you know where Keith is? Did he survive? He must be here if you’re alive! He-”

“Lance, easy.” Shiro tried, his expression as pained as it had been when they were on Dalbazz the last time. Lance barely held himself back, allowing Pidge and Hunk to approach the aliens instead, communicating with them using the device they’d built.

“You survived because you hid underground?” Hunk asked confusingly, earning a confused yet worried look from Pidge.

“But we scanned the area a hundred times. We couldn’t detect any signs of life.”

The tall necked alien speaking to them moved their hand, their lips unmoving and et somehow Pidge’s device managed to translate whatever they were trying to communicate. Yellow and green paladins quirked a brow at what they said.

“You hid underneath a large crystal? And that’s how you managed to survive?” unk probed, earning a nod from the alien.

“What about Keith!? Where is he!?” Lance could barely contain himself, stomping over to Hunk and Pidge, looking up at the alien.

The creature moved while Pidge’s translator tried to figure out what they were trying to say. Words soon appeared on the screen, knocking the air out of Lance’s lungs.

_‘Your friend is alive.’_

Lance couldn’t take his eyes off those words, feeling something within him snap, unable to hide the shake in his hands. Keith… he was alive? All this time? For four years he’d been on this planet… All this time without them even knowing about it.

“Take us to him.” Hunk managed to say for them all, uncaring if he sounded rude at the moment. The alien seemed to understand what they were saying because it turned it’s back on them, beginning to walk away.

Lance felt wobbly on his legs but despite that he followed the alien closely, the rest of the paladins close by as they walked to what looked like a cave. Red crystals were sticking out of the ground around them, increasing in number the further inside they went.

Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by crimson crystals all around. There were bits of grass Lance could see inside some of them, somehow managing to get get inside the stone like crystal.

The alien led them all deep inside until they reached the very end, stopping in place and turning to the paladins to point at the crystal in front of him.

None of the paladins could do anything but stare at what was before them. It was Keith, engulfed within the crimson crystal and unmoving. His eyes were closed, wearing his red paladin armour as he lay within.

Pidge’s legs were so weak that she collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down her face. The rest of them weren’t any better, and soon Hunk joined her on the ground, gasping as he looked up at their friend who they thought was long gone.

“K-Keith.” Allura managed to mutter in a whisper, hands covering her lips while tears fell down her cheeks.

“H-He’s alive…” Shiro broke down, approaching the crystal so that he could touch it. His prosthetic arm clenched beside the crystal, looking up at Keith’s peacefully sleeping face.

Lance approached on wobbly legs, collapsing beside the crystal just as he reached it. His blue eyes looked up at Keith’s beautiful figure, frozen in time within the crimson crystal. Keith didn’t change at all. He looks just like he did when Dalbazz was hit with Lotor’s canon.

He didn’t change. He was still the same Keith they all remembered and he was here… He survived.

With a shaking hand, Pidge opened her scans, trying to detect any traces of life where Keith was. Her breath hitched once she got a result, more tears streaming down her face.

“K-Keith is alive.”

After four years of thinking Keith died on Dalbazz… They were all faced with a miracle that he was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget everything I said in my previous chapter. I'm so slow to update that it's driving even me crazy. I had a plan of updating one of my other stories but in the end I updated this one. I'm impossible... seriously. Sorry everyone that it took me this long. I think most of you will have to re-read the previous chapters since it's been that long. Sorry.
> 
> Translations:  
> Cosa stai facendo? - What’re you doing? (Italian)  
> Sei strano - You’re weird (Italian)  
> No tan raro como tu - Not as weird as you (Spanish)  
> Helado - Ice cream (Spanish)  
> Hazlo. Dime algo en espanol - Do it. Tell me something in Spanish (Spanish)  
> Mi nombre es Hunk. Piloto el león amarillo - My name is Hunk. I pilot the yellow lion (Spanish)
> 
> Note: Everything that is written in different languages is done by Google Translate. Please feel free to correct me if anything is wrong. 
> 
> Again I'm so sorry for not updating but I guess one of the reasons for that was the low hits. I just didn't have the motivation I guess. I really want to finish this, but I won't make any promises when I'll update this time. From now on, no promises, but I'll try to do it as soon as I can.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


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